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The Rise and Fall of Megalodon: A Giant Shark’s Epic Extinction
By
Smore Science
/ May 18, 2023
- Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived, reaching up to 18 meters in length.
- It was an apex predator and hunted whales and other marine mammals.
- Megalodon lived all over the world for over 10 million years but went extinct 2.6 million years ago.
- The extinction of Megalodon coincided with the beginning of the Pleistocene and changes in whale habitats.
- Megalodon’s disappearance may have been influenced by the appearance of new predators such as Livyatan Melville and Carcharodon Hubbelli, as well as competition with smaller, faster sharks like the great white.
- Changes in climate and the decline of diatoms, which affected krill and whale populations, could have also played a role in Megalodon’s extinction.
- After Megalodon’s extinction, the size of whales increased significantly, with the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, appearing in the fossil record less than 2 million years ago.
- The absence of Megalodon allowed other predators like great white sharks and orcas to take over the role of apex predators in the oceans.
- The future possibility of giant sharks, similar to Megalodon, returning to the oceans is speculated, with the great white shark potentially evolving into a similar role over time.
- The growth and size transformation of Megalodon and its ancestors occurred over a span of nearly 30 million years as marine mammals gradually grew larger.
Author
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