Researchers reveal true scale of megalodon shark for first time | Environment | The Guardian

Researchers reveal true scale of megalodon shark for first time | Environment | The Guardian

Megalodon was an absolute unit

The extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon probably had a dorsal fin about as tall as me — 1.6 metres. Palaeobiologists used their knowledge of five modern sharks to calculate eye-popping estimates for the length of the megalodon’s head (almost 5 metres) and the height of its tail (almost 4 metres). Previously, only the approximately 16-metre length of the whole creature had been estimated, by comparison with the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). “To study the whole animal is difficult considering that all we really have are lots of isolated teeth,” says palaeobiologist Jack Cooper.

The Guardian | 4 min readReference: Scientific Reports paper