Megalodon super shark looked very different to how we’ve always imagined

The researchers, however, estimate that the shark was actually slimmer and a better reference model would have been the mako shark.

‘It was a “eureka-moment” when our research team realised the discrepancy between two previously published lengths for the same Megalodon specimen,’ said Professor Kenshu Shimada, co-leader of the study.

‘The remarkably simple evidence that megalodon had a more slender body than the great white shark was hidden in plain sight.’

To make their conclusion, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, the team used fossils of Megalodon teeth and vertebrae and compared them to those of living shark relatives.

First author and PhD candidate Phillip Sternes said: ‘Our team re-examined the fossil record, and discovered the Megalodon was more slender and possibly even longer than we thought.

‘Therefore, a better model might be the modern mako shark.

‘We measured the whole vertebral skeleton of a living great white shark with a CT scanner and compared that to the previous reconstruction of the Megalodon vertebral column.

‘It was still a giant, predatory shark. But the results strongly suggest that the Megalodon was not merely a larger version of the modern great white shark.’

This discovery not only changes the understanding of the Megalodon itself, but its impact on the evolution of marine ecosystems that shaped present-day oceans.

‘If I only have to eat one whale every so often, whale populations would remain more stable over time.’

The international team of 26 shark experts featured experts from the US, UK, Austria, France, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Australia.

Their findings have created new theories on the extinction of the Megalodon, suggesting that instead of a natural decrease in prey they were overpowered by the emergence of great white sharks.

‘It still would have been a formidable predator at the top of the ancient marine food chain, but it would have behaved differently based on this new understanding of its body,’ said Mr Sternes.

‘I believe there were a combination of factors that led to the extinction, but one of them may have been the emergence of the great white shark, which was possibly more agile, making it an even better predator than the Megalodon.

‘That competition for food may have been a major factor in its demise.’

The researchers note that, although their findings are exciting, much more research and discoveries are required to fully understand what the Megalodon would have looked like.

‘Despite the major scientific advancement in our new study, the fact that we still don’t know exactly how megalodon looked keeps our imagination going,’ said Professor Shimada.

The continued mystery like this makes palaeontology, the study of prehistoric life, a fascinating and exciting scientific field.’

He concluded: ‘Now that we know it was a thinner shark, we need to reinvestigate its lifestyle, how it really lived, and what caused it to die.

‘This study represents a major stepping stone for others to follow up on.’