The Extinct Carcharodon Megalodon Shark

Size

Carcharodon megalodon was an enormous shark. The shark was at its largest around 12 million years ago. According to the Florida museum of Natural History, Carcharodon megalodon may have measured up to 60 feet in length and may have weighed as much as 77 tons. However, the exact size of this shark is unclear. As shark skeletons are made from cartilage which decomposes quickly, it is very difficult for complete skeletons become fossilized. Estimations of Carcharodon megalodon's size are based on the size of fossilized teeth that have been found. By comparing tooth size and body length in sharks that are alive today, Carcharodon megalodon's estimated length can be calculated from the size of its teeth.

Carcharodon megalodon had a huge jaw that could open up to six feet. 24 teeth ran along the top of the shark's mouth and another 22 ran along the bottom. Carcharodon megalodon's teeth were sharp, pointed and triangular in shape. The edges of the teeth were serrated. The average length of a Carcharodon megalodon tooth was around 6-inches.

Carcharodon megalodon was an apex predator. Its carnivorous diet was composed of food such as dolphins and whales. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, Carcharodon megalodon may have gained the energy needed to power its enormous body by consuming up to 2,500 pounds of sea animals in a single day. Once Carcharodon megalodon had located its prey, its large, powerful jaws snapped shut to capture it.

Several factors may have contributed to Carcharodon megalodon becoming extinct around 2 million years ago. The arrival of an Ice Age caused the waters that Carcharodon megalodon inhabited to cool very quickly. This would have been undesirable to the Carcharodon megalodon -- which normally lived in warm water habitats. Colder waters may also have been unable to support many of the animals that Carcharodon megalodon preyed upon. Other underwater predators that were evolving around the time of Carcharodon megalodon's extinction may also have brought new competition for prey and reduced the amount of food that was available.