The question of what the megalodon (Otodus megalodon) actually looked like represents a major challenge for paleontologists. To date, no complete skeleton of the ancient shark is known. Only its gigantic teeth and fossil vertebrae are present. Trying to decipher your body shape is therefore always based on assumptions.
The modern great white shark is traditionally considered a model for the megalodon body. As early as 1996, researchers compared the vertebral bodies of a megalodon skeleton with that of the great white shark. According to their calculation, the ancient shark was once 9.2 meters long.
But in 2022, paleontologists led by Jack Cooper took another look at the same fossilized spine. For your Study They scanned and measured each individual vertebra and initially constructed a digital 3D skeleton. The result: the spine alone measured 11.2 meters, the total length of the animal was around 16 meters – a significantly longer body than estimated in 1996. How is that possible?
The large difference between the 1996 and 2022 estimates is a sign that today’s great white shark is not a good model for the megalodon. Nevertheless, Cooper’s research team used the great white shark as a reference to calculate the size of non-preserved body parts, such as the head. An international research team is now criticizing this: the previous estimate of a maximum of 15 to 20 meters may underestimate Megalodon’s body length.