The Forceful Force

When measured the force of the bite, humans had a bite force of around 1,317 Newtons, while great sharks recorded the bite force of 18,216 Newtons. But it was the bite force of megalodon which baffled the scientists because it was estimated between 108,514 and 182,210 Newton. While they reconstructed the jaw of the shark their main focus was to reconstruct the whole body of megalodon.

What Did Megalodon Look Like?

Most of the reconstructions showed megalodon similar to white sharks but this was later proved wrong. After years of research, scientists were able to recreate megalodon’s body which showed a much shorter nose then the white sharks, with a flatter and almost squashed jaw. Similar to the shark, megalodon also had extra-long pectoral fins which supported its huge weight and size in the waters. What else?

Experts Say

“A lot of reconstructions have megalodon looking like a bigger version of the great white shark because for a long time people thought they were related. We now know that this is not the case, and Megalodon is actually from a different lineage of shark of which megalodon was the last member,” explained Emma. They were even able to find out about the ancestor of megalodon.

The Oldest Ancestor

A blue shark swimming in the ocean

The oldest known ancestor of megalodon was a 55-million-year-old shark called as Otodus obliquus. It was around 10 meters in length. This shark history goes back to Cretalamna appendiculata which was some 105 million years ago making megalodon lineage over 100 years old. “As we’ve found more and more fossils, we’ve realized that the ancestor to the great white shark lived alongside megalodon. Some scientists think they might even have been in competition with each other,” said Emma.

A Cosmopolitan Shark

Megalodon lived in a warm tropical and subtropical locations spreading all over the globe. Megalodon’s teeth have been found on every continent except Antarctica which proved the theory that megalodon wasn’t able to adapt with the cold weather. So, basically, megalodon was found everywhere in the place of the world. Basically, megalodon dominated the oceans all around the globe.

Excited Researchers

“We can find lots of their teeth off the east coast of North America, along the coasts and at the bottom of saltwater creeks and rivers of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. They are also quite common off the coast of Morocco and parts of Australia. They can even be found in the UK near Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex,” said Emma.