Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Biology

Megalodon could have eaten killer whales whole in just a few bites

The megalodon was the ultimate apex predator.

Jordan Strickler by Jordan Strickler
August 22, 2022
in Biology, Geology

The megalodon, a giant shark that first emerged around 23 million years ago and went extinct some 2.6 million years ago, is one of the fiercest predators to have ever lived, either on land or in the sea. While its maximum size still remains uncertain, a group from the University of Zurich have found that the creatures could have eaten killer whales…whole. Easily.

Megalodons could have eaten animals up to eight meters long. (Credit: J.J.Giraldo)

Using a 3D model, the researchers recreated a megadolon 16 meters long (52.5 feet) which weighed over 61 tons and could swim at top speeds of around 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) per second. This beast would have required over 98,000 kilo calories every day (for comparison, humans consume about 2,000 calories per day) and had a stomach volume of almost 10,000 liters. These results suggest that the megalodon could travel long distances and was capable of eating whole prey of up to eight meters (26 feet) long, about the size of a modern killer whale, currently the ocean’s apex predator.

“These results suggest that this giant shark was a trans-oceanic super-apex predator,” says Catalina Pimiento, Professor at the University of Zurich and senior author of the study. In fact, the megalodon was so impactful in the oceans that its extinction reshaped ecosystems throughout the oceans. “The extinction of this iconic giant shark likely impacted global nutrient transport and released large cetaceans from a strong predatory pressure.”

The researchers started their megalodon model from a spinal column. But before reconstructing the entire column, the team measured and scanned each and every vertebra. The column was then attached to a 3D scan of an American megalodon’s mouth. Using a 3D scan of a South African great white shark’s body, they finished the model by adding “flesh” around the skeleton.

Even though it is thought to have been one of the largest and most powerful predators that ever lived, the megalodon is only known from a few scattered remains, and its appearance as well as its maximum size are relatively unknown. There is a lack of consensus among scientists as to whether it would have resembled a stockier version of the great white shark, the whale shark, the basking shark or the sand tiger shark. The most recent estimate, which also has the smallest margin of error, suggests that the maximum length could be as much as 20 meters (66 feet), but the average lengths are estimated to be 10.5 meters (34 feet).

Megalodon would have been able to meet its high energy needs by eating the high-calorie blubber of whales — as highlighted by fossils that have shown bite marks in whale blubber. An optimal foraging model of possible megalodon prey found that eating a single eight-meter-long whale might have given the shark enough energy to swim thousands of miles across oceans for two months without eating again. Catalina Pimiento, a professor at the University of Zurich and the study’s lead author, published in Science Advances, says that the results show that this giant shark was a super-apex predator that lived in both oceans. 

“The extinction of this famous giant shark probably changed how nutrients moved around the world and freed large cetaceans from a lot of pressure from predators.”

Now that the model is completed, it can be used as a starting point for future reconstructions and research. The new biological conclusions drawn from this study are a big step forward in our understanding of this one-of-a-kind super predator. They also help us learn more about the role that megafaunal species play in marine ecosystems and the big effects of their extinction.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Beluga whales, killer whales, and narwhals also go through menopause
  2. Killer whales are so smart they can learn to speak “dolphin”
  3. Culture drives distinct genetic evolution in killer whales — the first non-human animal to do so
  4. Cooperative prey hunting and sharing observed in Norwegian seal-eating killer whales
  5. Killer whales shed light on the mystery of menopause

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW