Are megalodons real?

Imagine a shark that's bigger than a school bus! Supersized megalodon sharks lived approximately 3 to 17 million years ago. According to the Natural History Museum, they grew up to 18 metres in length. Their jaws were over three metres wide and could hold two adult humans. With their large mouth and enormous size, megalodons sound like they were straight out of nightmares! 

At the time of this post, a complete megalodon skeleton has never been found. So how do scientists know how big megalodons were... or if they were even real? The answer is teeth. Megalodons had a lot of teeth — 276 of them! A single tooth could grow to be seven inches long. While they were swimming in the ocean, megalodons would lose their teeth. (This happens to sharks today, too!) The fallen teeth became fossilized and then discovered millions of years later. 

Scientists collect megalodon teeth across the globe and use carbon dating to estimate the age. They measure the teeth and compare them to modern day sharks. This helps scientists develop models to calculate the approximate size of megalodons. The bigger the teeth, the bigger the shark! 

Luckily for us, megalodons are extinct so you don't have to worry about swimming with them. If you want to learn more about prehistoric creatures, take a bite out of these books!



Image source: "Calakmul MEX - Megalodon - Carcharocles megalodon" by Daniel Mennerich is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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