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.
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 vertebrae skeleton with reconstructions of the megalodon specimen's spine, scientists discovered that the megalodon's body was thinner than that of a modern great white shark. Accordingly, this individual was actually at least 11.1m long. While previous research estimated this particular megalodon to be 9.2m long. Thus, 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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