Megalodon

 

The Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived dwarfing its close relative, the Great White shark. Scientists have data that suggests the average adult male measuring up to 59 feet long and some speculate they may have grown to be 82 feet long. (For comparison - the Great White measures up to 16 feet.) Their diet consisted of other marine life such as dolphins, seals, fish, and even WHALES!

The Megalodon lived from the early Miocene Epoch (23.3 million years ago) to the end of the Pliocene Epoch (2.58 million years ago) and thrived in oceans around the globe. Its range included the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas, as well as the coasts of California, southern Australia, northern Europe, South America, southern Africa, New Zealand, and East Asia.

Their teeth are similar to that of today's sharks - triangular, serrated, and symmetrical. The difference is their size. The Megalodon teeth are significantly large and thicker, the serrations are evenly spaced, and they have a darker, chevron-shaped region near the root. Their jaws are so large that an adult can stand up inside of them and still not reach the top!