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Megalodon Teeth
Carcharocles Megalodon was once the most fearsome predator to reign the seas. This ancient shark lived roughly 23 to 3.6 million years ago in nearly every corner of the ocean. Roughly up to three times the length of a modern-day great white shark, it is the largest shark to have ever lived. It had a powerful bite with a jaw full of teeth as large as an adult human’s hand. They likely could tear chunks of flesh from even the largest whales of the time. It should come as no surprise that upon discovery in the fossil record, the massive shark was named Carcharocles megalodon or “big toothed glorious shark.” The megalodon is the largest shark to have ever lived in the world’s ocean. Like other sharks, they had streamlined yet powerful bodies built to efficiently cut through the water. Their tailfin undulated side to side and they breathed through gill slits on either side of their head.
The megalodon was a massive shark. The largest were roughly 60 feet in length and attained perhaps up to 50 tons, the size and weight of a railroad car. Female megalodons were, on average larger, at about 44 to 56 feet (13-17 m) and males were about 34 to 47 feet (10-14 m). Due to the lack of cartilage fossils, megalodon size estimates are based upon known relationships between tooth size and shark body length
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