Carcharodon
megalodon
Carcharodon megalodon (fondly referred to as “meg” by fossil shark lovers)
was an extinct giant white shark (a.k.a. megatooth shark). Like
all sharks, the skeleton was cartilaginous, and the only commonly preserved
fossil remains are teeth. The teeth of this ancient giant shark had serrated
edges, which function to readily slice through flesh. Estimates of
original body size vary from 12 meters to >35 meters long.
Fossil remains of Carcharodon megalodon are
widespread in inferred warm-water marine deposits of Miocene & Pliocene
age. Considering the size of megatooth sharks, their diet is inferred to
have consisted principally of whales (shark tooth marks on fossil whale bones
are not uncommon).
Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Chondrichthyes,
Elasmobranchii, Lamniformes, Carcharodontidae (or Lamnidae, or
Otodontidae)
Carcharodon megalodon Agassiz, 1843 tooth (centimeter scale) from the late
Cenozoic of eastern America. This specimen has a worn tooth tip (apex)
& some abraded serrations. This is the labial surface (facial
surface) of the tooth - the side facing outward. Labial surfaces of shark
teeth tend to be flattish. The opposite side, the lingual side (the side
facing the tongue) tends to be convex. The dark-colored lower quarter of
the tooth represents the root; everything above is the crown.
Specimen owned by Dane Lavender.
Carcharodon
megalodon Agassiz, 1843
reconstructed jaw (above & below).
(public display, Newport Aquarium, northern Kentucky,
USA)
Carcharodon
megalodon Agassiz, 1843
reconstructed jaw (above & below).
(public display, Newport Aquarium, northern Kentucky,
USA)
Carcharodon
megalodon Agassiz, 1843
reconstructed jaw (above & below).
(public display, Newport Aquarium, northern Kentucky,
USA)