Posted on Tuesday 5 August 2008
The BBC reports that scientists have discovered that the Megalodon, a prehistoric monster shark, could bite down with a force between 10.8 to 18.2 tonnes. In comparison, a great white can bite with a force of 1.8 tonnes.
A new study of the extinct creature’s skull shows it had an almighty bite, making the prehistoric fish one of the most fearsome predators of all time.
All the more remarkable, scientists say, because the crushing force came from jaws made of cartilage, not bone.
The researchers report their skull work in the Journal of Zoology.
The megalodon super-shark swam in the oceans more than a million-and-a-half years ago.
It grew up to 16m (52ft) in length and weighed in at 100 tonnes - 30 times heavier than the largest great white - and must have been one of the most formidable carnivores to have existed.
The Megalodon was at least twice the size of a great white shark and was clearly the apex predator during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. The Wikipedia entry has a photograph of the Megalodon’s massive version. Some videos about the Megaldon can be found here, here and here. There’s another article here on CryptoWiki.
Author Steve Alten has written a number of novels about Megalodons that have survived by living in a deep ocean trench and threaten humans in today’s world. You can read an interview with him here.
Photo source: Wikipedia
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Original post by HealthNewsBlog.com
