Ancient megalodon shark was slimmer than thought

Scientists from the University of California, DePaul University... have just announced research results showing that megalodon - a prehistoric shark species - had a slimmer body than imagined.

Image depicting the body shape of Otodus megalodon before (black) and now (gray). Photo: CNN

Otodus megalodon lived more than 23 million years ago, but very little evidence exists in the fossil record (only teeth and vertebrae, not a complete skeleton). That's why some estimates of its body size are based on the body of the modern great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which is thick and round.

The new study is based on a re-evaluation of an incomplete set of megalodon fossil vertebrae found in Belgium. Using a CT scan on a living great white shark to compare the entire set of vertebrae with reconstructions of the megalodon specimen's spine, scientists found that the megalodon was leaner than modern great whites. This suggests that the individual was actually at least 11.1m long. Previous research had estimated this particular megalodon at 9.2m. This would suggest that the megalodon's vertebrae would not have been strong enough to support the entire body weight as estimated. The new discovery marks a major scientific breakthrough in the effort to decipher the megalodon.

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