New Discoveries Reveal the Colossal Size of the Largest Shark in History, Say Scientists

Dr. Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist, has loved sharks since he was a kid. He found his first megalodon tooth at age 13. When he watched the movie “The Meg” in 2018, he felt something was off. The film not only showed the megalodon surviving into modern times but also depicted it as a staggering 75 feet long, which seemed way too big.

The real size of the megalodon has always been a puzzle. No complete fossils exist, but recent research by Shimada suggests that these giant sharks could have reached lengths of up to 80 feet, or about 24 meters.

Shimada and his team also believe that megalodon had a more slender body than previously thought, resembling a sleek lemon shark more than a bulky great white shark. This new perspective could change how we think about megalodon and its evolution.

“Megalodon is not just a giant version of the great white shark,” Shimada noted. He’s a professor at DePaul University and the lead author of the study published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.

These findings could alter how scientists and filmmakers portray the huge creature. They may also explain why some marine animals can grow so large, with some fossils indicating megalodon roamed the oceans from 15 million to 3.6 million years ago.

As a shark, megalodon belongs to the family of cartilaginous fishes, which means it had a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone. Unlike bones, teeth are strong and durable, which is why megalodon teeth are often found even though complete skeletons are rare.

Findings include fossilized spinal columns, showing lengths of up to 36 feet, and vertebrae that can be as much as 9 inches wide—much larger than human vertebrae that are about 1 inch across. While no teeth were found with these backbones, researchers believe they still belong to the megalodon species.

Some scientists had previously thought megalodon’s teeth suggested it was a stout-bodied shark. However, Shimada and his colleagues questioned this idea after reviewing a digital 3D model of megalodon. They determined that a great white shark wasn’t the best model for what megalodon really looked like.

Shimada’s team compared various species of living and extinct sharks to create a database of their body shapes. They used known vertebrae to estimate megalodon’s overall dimensions, leading them to believe it was more streamlined than previously thought.

According to Shimada’s study, a thinner, longer structure would allow megalodon to swim more efficiently. He pointed out that a sleeker body could explain why some marine animals grow larger, like blue whales, which can reach lengths of about 100 feet while maintaining effective swimming.

Dr. Stephen Godfrey from the Calvert Marine Museum was intrigued by the study and the claim that megalodon resembled a lemon shark. He expressed surprise at the new length estimate, saying a long, slender animal is more efficient in water than a chunkier one.

Ultimately, the true size and appearance of megalodon remain somewhat of a mystery. “We need a complete skeleton to confirm whether megalodon was skinny or stocky,” said Shimada. The discovery of such a skeleton would be the ultimate test of their findings.