Megalodon Sowed Terror In The World's Oceans - Alternative View

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Megalodon Sowed Terror In The World's Oceans - Alternative View
Megalodon Sowed Terror In The World's Oceans - Alternative View

Video: Megalodon Sowed Terror In The World's Oceans - Alternative View

Video: Megalodon Sowed Terror In The World's Oceans - Alternative View
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The authors of the Aftonbladet article spoke with paleontologists to learn more about the terrible prehistoric predator, the Megalodon. This giant shark three times the length of the great white did not have a single natural enemy, and it terrified the entire world ocean. Megalodons killed and devoured anyone, even whales. So why did they become extinct? The paradox is from hunger.

The largest predator of all time has combed the world's oceans for 25 million years in a row, tirelessly searching for food.

Its length reached 18 meters, and the teeth were simply huge, and even the largest marine animals could not avoid the terrible jaws.

Meet the number one monster shark - the megalodon.

In the movie Megalodon, which is now in theaters, a team of researchers encountered this prehistoric shark, which miraculously survived in a previously unknown crevice in the depths of the sea.

Who is Megalodon?

We spoke to Lars Werdelin, professor of paleontology at the State Museum of Natural History, and this is what he told us:

Promotional video:

“Our knowledge is very limited as it relies mainly on fossil teeth. Sharks are mostly made of cartilage and leave little fossils behind. For comparison, a truly great white shark has a streamlined elongated body about six meters long, a mouth the same width as the body, and three rows of seven-centimeter teeth.

Now imagine a giant shark three times as long, with a rounder body and five rows of teeth totaling 250 pieces and measuring up to 18 centimeters. Now you have an idea of how huge the Megalodon really was."

Megalodon had a different hunting technique than the great white shark

For millions of years, this superpredator has been at the very top of the food chain, and it has not had a single enemy. Such a large shark had to eat a lot to satisfy its energy needs, so it rushed to the largest prey like dolphins, whales and giant turtles. From the fossils found, scientists realized that her hunting technique was different from that of the great white shark. Verdelin continues:

“The great white shark swims quickly and can jump out of the water; it often hunts in shallow waters. Because of its size and body shape, the megalodon was not such a good swimmer, but it could kill larger prey at greater depths.

Having studied the fossil remains of whales and dolphins that fell victims of the megalodon, it was possible to determine that the megalodons killed their prey by biting its ridge and crushing the chest.

Visitors to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science examine the jaw of the Megalodon shark
Visitors to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science examine the jaw of the Megalodon shark

Visitors to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science examine the jaw of the Megalodon shark.

According to Lars Verdelin, it was previously believed that megalodons were the ancestors of white sharks. But appearances are deceiving: now scientists believe that in fact they have a common ancestor who lived 100 million years ago. This means that the white shark and megalodon are as distant relatives as we are with the kangaroo.

Do megalodons exist today?

Is there a chance that the megalodon is still floating somewhere in the ocean? The scientists with whom we talked unanimously stated: today there are no megalodons on the planet, they are extinct. But there are different opinions about why they became extinct.

According to researcher Daniele Silvestro, who studies biology and ecology at the University of Gothenburg, the reason for the extinction of the megalodon is still a mystery. The fact that the megalodon became extinct is all the more strange because it was a cosmopolitan shark and lived almost everywhere except in the regions around the poles. Together with an international team of researchers, Daniele Silvestro put forward a theory that was recently published in the respected scientific journal Nature, ecology & evolution:

“We believe the megalodon became extinct three or two and a half million years ago due to fluctuations in sea level. At that time, the earth was going through a period of cooling - an ice age - and the polar ice caps expanded greatly, which caused the sea level to drop (as opposed to the current global warming). The land was advancing on the sea and the ecosystems of coastal waters were greatly reduced, which in turn led to the extinction of the production of megalodon,”says Silvestro.

There was less food, and the calorie requirements of megalodon were enormous, so that it became extinct simply due to lack of food: the seas quickly became scarce.

The whales were safe - and bred

Daniele continues:

“The cooling and decrease in coastal sea zones, due to which the megalodon became extinct, led to the death of many other species, especially large ones, which bred or sought food near the coast. The other species that lived further out at sea did much better.”

Lars Verdelin on the fate of Megalodon:

“Newborns and young megalodons seemed to need warm coastal water along with the prey that lived there. When the seas cooled, these areas shrank sharply, the megalodons could not cope with these changes and became extinct. Apparently, they have been replaced by large filter-feeders like the whale shark and the giant shark, which feed on marine microorganisms.

The whales retreated to the colder depths of the sea and began to multiply rapidly, because the most dangerous enemy died out.

Megalodon failed and failed to adapt, and this shows us well that in the games of nature, no one is safe. Even the world's largest shark is at the very top of the food chain!

A selection of films about sharks

Few species of sharks occasionally attack humans, but despite this, man-eating sharks are a favorite theme of the Hollywood Dream Factory.

Shark films are now experiencing something of a renaissance. Here are some of the most noteworthy.

Jaws (1975)

This film has shaped a whole genre. Young and hungry (!) Steven Spielberg scared the whole world, elevated "popcorn movies" to the Hollywood throne and provided the white shark with far worse fame than it could ever deserve on its own. The film was shot to a high standard and is still fun to watch even today.

Megalodon (2018)

Jason Statham stars as a rescue diver trying to rescue a group of scientists who unfortunately discovered that the megalodon is not extinct at all. Rapid development of events, big teeth are great if you are in the right mood.

Open Sea (2003)

The first in a series of minimalist shark films that were popular in recent years before Megalodon. A married couple is forgotten at sea on a diving safari, and they are forced to struggle with loneliness and sharks prowling around.

The Shallows (2016)

A minimalistic shark movie starring Blake Lively as a surfer who finds herself on a sandbank a few hundred meters from land. Unfortunately, a white shark prowls in the waters around in search of prey. Fascinating, short and rather original film.

Sharks (2006)

Best Shark Movie! Canadian documentary by enthusiast Rob Stewart, who dives among sharks, holds on to their fins and drives a boat as part of a protest. The film helped a lot to reduce the trade in fins in many regions.

Lars Hermansson, Ulrika Hermansson