A new study may explain why Megalodon became extinct
A new study suggests that Megalodon, the largest marine predator that has ever lived, may have become extinct due to the body temperature of the giant shark. As the oceans cooled, the sharks could be forced to lower latitudes where ocean temperatures were warmer, while prey evolved to withstand cooler temperatures of higher latitudes.
Megalodon, the top predator of the sea, was the largest shark that ever lived, nearly 60 feet long. A recently published study suggests that the massive shark has reached its epic size due to oophagy: a type of intrauterine cannibalism.
The research, published in the scientific journal Historical Biology, suggests that these massive sharks were born more than 6 feet tall, thanks to the eating of undeveloped siblings while they were still developing during pregnancy.
“The gigantism of O. megalodon is attributed to the evolution of regional endothermia, possibly along with the derived live-bearing reproductive mode that includes intrauterine cannibalism in the form of oophagy,” researchers wrote in the study. “Yet, exactly how O. megalodon developed during his lifetime has largely remained in the realm of speculation.”
MEGALODON FOSSILS INVESTIGATED BY THE WORLD
In-utero cannibalism is not uncommon among sharks. In November 2019, a species of shark discovered in Kansas also exhibited ‘cannibalistic behavior’.
In September, a separate group of researchers determined the true size of the megalodon’s body, including its large fins, based on fossils. A 52.5-meter-long megalodon probably has a head of 15.3 feet, a dorsal fin about 5.3 feet long and a tail about 12.6 feet high, the scientists found.
The scientists, led by Kenshu Shimada, used a number of methods to devise their findings, including multiple X-ray scans to reconstruct fossils and get an idea of how large a megalodon was at birth. .
Shimada and the other experts also determined that the massive shark grew 6.3 centimeters per year during the first 50 years of its life. Megalodons had a life expectancy of about 88 years and could have turned 100 years old, the experts suggested.
“As one of the largest carnivores that still existed on earth, the evolution and extinction of O. megalodon must have contributed to the formation of the current marine ecosystem,” the researchers added. “It is therefore critical to decipher such growth parameters of O. megalodon to understand the role that large carnivores play in the context of ecology and evolution.”
The megalodon may have become extinct due to being exerted and surpassed by its smaller, leaner cousin, the great white.
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Other theories suggest that the megalodon was killed by an exploding star about 2.6 million years ago.
Another theory that has received a lot of attention in recent memory is that the megalodon simply could not regulate its body temperature. Cooler ocean temperatures during the Pliocene era led to the preference, whales, to adapt, while the megalodon was unable to
During the Pleistocene extinction event, many animals larger than 80 pounds died, according to the Illinois State Museum. At about 50 feet long and weighing about 120,000 pounds, megalodons would have been an excellent candidate to be affected by the cosmic explosion.
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Fox Rogers, James Rogers, contributed to this story.