Megalodon

If this is your first time even hearing the name “Megalodon” (pronounced without the a) then don’t feel like you’ve either 1. Had a bad science teacher in the past that missed it or 2. The great white shark has really been the least of your worries while swimming in the ocean. Or maybe it’s just me. The first time I heard of the Megalodon was from a Miami Ohio Redhawks men’s hockey player who is more popularly known for playing for a national championship this past season than flaunting random, unknown Wikipedia definitions. Because we all really wonder what prime-time athletes really do in their free time now we know one of them.  William Weber, number four on the Redhawks team, explained one of them matter-of-factly, “watching the History Channel of course.” He went on to explain how a few of his teammates had gotten caught up in the mysteriousness of the Megalodon a creature who scientist’s figure grew up to more than 60 feet and was the largest shark to ever live. When first typing “Megalodon” into Google then, it did not surprise me to see the picture:

A little scary? I think the word “little” is an understatement. Wikipedia goes on to say the “oldest remains of this species found are about 18 million years old.” But I still can’t help but think that next time I go swimming in the ocean I’ll have images of the six feet high jaws opening to close around me completely. Scientists have had trouble estimating the size of this shark but it seems clear that it is HUGE. And much bigger than humans and any great white shark that has ever swam in the ocean. The largest tooth that was found in 1973 but ichthyologist John E. Randall had an enamel height of 115 mm. From this enamel height, Randall concluded that the Megalodon could grow to 13 meters which is 43 feet. So now, what the heck would this large beast eat? I can only imagine that ships would seem like crackers to the Meg. According to Wikipedia, there is evidence that C. Megalodon preyed on whales, sirenians, dolphins and sea turtles. Lastly, and I’m sure the most imperative question we all want to know is: do these things still exist?! And if they don’t-how the heck does something so dominant die out?