Scienceblogtwo

Huge sharks previously ruled the world's oceans millions of years ago, including the dreaded megalodon (Otodus megalodon). Despite its infamously terrifying reputation, the predator left virtually little evidence of its presence. We now have the first 3D model of the extinct fish thanks to recent study on an extraordinarily well-preserved fossil, which suggests that it may have cruised at speeds quicker than any shark in the ocean at the time. Scientists have discovered that it was so big that it could consume full prey the size of today's top predators in just five bites, including the enormous, 8-meter orcas that scare our most feared sharks today, the great white shark. In actuality, a white shark might have been easily gobbled whole by megalodon. According to these findings, megalodon was the most fierce creature in prehistory. Furthermore, they could help us understand the function it played in the ocean ecosystems it dominated. Researchers lead by paleobiologist Jack Coop...