A new scientific study shows that the prehistoric Megalodon lived about 15 million to 3.6 million years ago and spread almost all over the world. The megalodon, whose official name is Otodus megalodon, is often depicted as an oversized megalodon in novels and science fiction films, including The Meg.

Previous research suggests the shark may have been at least 50 to 65 feet (15 to 20 meters) long. However, what is known about megalodon is limited to teeth and vertebrae in the fossil record. Therefore, in previous studies, the modern great white shark (Carcharodoncharcharias) has been used as a model for megalodon body shape.

However, new research published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica shows that megalodon was more slender than modern great white sharks.

Kenshu Shimada, a professor of paleontology at DePaul University, is co-leader and senior author of the new study.

The dark gray silhouette depicts the previously reconstructed megalodon body shape based primarily on modern white sharks, with the overlaid light gray outline showing the newly interpreted body shape. IMPORTANT NOTE: Based on the current fossil record, the exact extent of body elongation, the shape of the head, and the outline and position of each fin remain unknown. Source: DePaul University/Takeki Shimada

An incomplete set of vertebrae from a previously described fossil megalodon is reported to have a total length of 11.1 meters. However, in another previous study, inferring the quantitative relationship between the largest vertebra diameter and body length measured from multiple modern great white sharks, the total length of the exact same fossil individual, including the head, was estimated to be only 9.2 meters. Shimada added: "It was truly a 'eureka moment' when our research team realized the difference between the lengths of two previously published specimens of the same megalodon."

"This new study strongly suggests that the megalodon was not just an enlarged version of the modern great white shark," said co-lead author Phillip Sternes, who studied under Shimada and received his master's degree at DePaul University. Sternes是这项研究的第一作者，现在是加州大学河滨分校的博士生。

"Although the exact length of the megalodon's body relative to the great white shark remains uncertain, this new discovery marks a major scientific breakthrough in exploring what the megalodon looked like," Stearns said.

The research team for the new study consisted of 26 shark experts, including Stearns and Shimada, representing 29 academic institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, France, Australia, and the United States.

"To have a meaningful discussion about the size of megalodon, at least one complete or nearly complete skeleton must be found in the fossil record," Wood noted. "While our new study is a significant scientific advance, we still don't know what megalodon looked like, which keeps our imaginations growing. This ongoing mystery makes paleontology - the study of prehistoric life - a fascinating and exciting field of science."

Compiled source: ScitechDaily