Megalodon Not So Mega Long

Megalodon, at 60 feet plus, it was the largest fish to ever stalk the prehistoric oceans.

The giant shark (otodus megalodon) - not to mention best-selling book and movie star of The Meg series amongst others - dwarfed the Great White Shark.

New research suggests that those proportions are incorrect, meaning that if it still existed today you wouldn’t need as bigger boat as you perhaps first thought you did.

By comparing Meg teeth to those of Great White’s, sizes had been estimated as around 60-70 feet. A new study by DePaul University fossil shark expert, Dr Kenshu Shimada, from Chicago, shrinks it down to around 50 feet in length.

The research has been conducted against fossil teeth from museums around the world, although it is rumoured much larger teeth exist in private fossil collections.

Even shaving 10 feet off the length of the still giant predator doesn’t dwarf the excitement it creates. It’s still 15 metres long, with six inch razor sharp teeth. It’s still one helluvah fish!

And let’s not forget that the shark in Jaws is 25 feet long, bigger than any known Great White. So, we’ll allow Steve Alten and Hollywood a few extra artistic feet.

By Dean Newman 

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