True size of the legendary 'megashark' revealed
At 16 metres long, this was one big shark.
Between 23 and 3 million years ago, a legendary 'megashark' roamed the waters of Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Australia.
Scientists have known for some time the shark -- referred to as Otodus megalodon -- was big, but it's size had always been estimated.
Now, in a new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol and Swansea University, the actual size of the shark has been revealed ... and it was, indeed big.
Today, great white sharks measure about 6 metres long and have a bite with a force of two tonnes.
The results of the new paper suggest megalodons were around 16 metres long, nearly three times the length of the great white.
Palaeoartist reconstruction of a 16 m adult Megalodon Reconstruction by Oliver E. Demuth
"Otodus megalodon likely had a head round 4.65 metres long, a dorsal fin approximately 1.62 metres tall and a tail around 3.85 metres high," reads a statement by the study's authors.
"This means an adult human could stand on the back of this shark and would be about the same height as the dorsal fin."
For their study, Jack Cooper of the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, and colleagues from Bristol and Swansea used mathematical methods to determine the size of the prehistoric shark.
"Megalodon was actually the very animal that inspired me to pursue palaeontology in the first place at just six years old, so I was over the moon to get a chance to study it," Cooper said.
Researchers say reconstructing the size of the megalodon will provide a better understanding of its physiology and what factors may have made it prone to extinction.
The paper is available in Scientific Reports.
