Megalodon

Megalodon Temporal range: Miocene – Pliocene ~23–3.6 mya
Model of the jaws of the megalodon at the American Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Lamniformes
Family:	Lamnidae
Genus:	Carcharodon
Species:	C. megalodon
Binomial name
Carcharodon megalodon

Megalodon is an extinct species of shark and was the largest shark of all time, as far as we know. Its scientific name is Carcharodon megalodon (meaning " sharp tooth big tooth"). It lived from the early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs, 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya). It is a member of the family Lamnidae and the direct ancestor to the present-day great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ).

Megalodon had teeth, which are among the largest ever found, over 18 cm (7.1 in) long. Nicolaus Steno was the first to recognize the teeth as those of a giant shark. Paleontologists calculate that the shark was up to 20.3 m (67 ft) long with average length of 17 meters (56 feet). It weighed up to 48-103 metric tons.^[1]

Fossil records of C. megalodon indicate that it occurred in deep to tropical latitudes.^[2] Before the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, the seas were relatively warmer.^[3] This would have made it possible for the species to live in all the oceans of the world.

C. megalodon lived in many marine environments (i.e. continental shelf waters,^[4] coastal upwelling,^[4] swampy coastal lagoons,^[4] sandy littorals,^[4] and offshore deep water environments),^[5] and moved from place to place.^[4] Adult C. megalodon were not abundant in shallow water environments,^[4] and mostly lurked offshore. C. megalodon may have moved between coastal and oceanic waters, at different stages in its life.

Megalodon hunted large and medium-sized whales, attacking the bony areas, such as chest, fins, or tail. This would stop the whale, or it could kill quickly with a fatal bite to the chest region. The megalodon bite is considered one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom’s history.

Its great size,^[6] high-speed swimming capability,^[7] and powerful jaws coupled with formidable killing apparatus,^[2][6] made it an apex predator eating a range of fauna.

Fossil evidence is that C. megalodon preyed on cetaceans (i.e., dolphins,^[2] small whales,^[4][8] and Odobenocetops,^[9] and large whales,^[10] (including sperm whales,^[5][11] bowhead whales,^[12] and rorquals^[10][13] pinnipeds,^[14] porpoises,^[5] sirenians,^[4][15] and giant sea turtles.^[4]

Marine mammals were regular prey targets for megalodon. Many whale bones have been found with clear signs of large bite marks (deep gashes) made by teeth that match those of megalodon,^[2][8] and various excavations have revealed megalodon teeth lying close to the chewed remains of whales,^[2] and sometimes in direct association with them. Fossil evidence of interactions between megalodon and pinnipeds also exist. In one interesting observation, a 127 millimetres (5.0 in) megalodon tooth was found lying very close to a bitten earbone of a sea lion.^[14]

The Megalodon is a member of the family Lamnidae and is the direct ancestor of the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ). Megalodon evolved from a shark called Carcharodon orientalis which evolved into Carcharodon auriculatus which evolved into Carcharodon sokolovi which evolved into Carcharodon angustidens which evolved into Carcharodon chubutensis which evolved into Carcharodon megalodon which finally evolved into today's great white shark Carcharodon carcharias. As food became scarce, the Megalodon simply reduced its size to the great white shark.