The largest shark in history, Megalodon, might have been an elongated and slender behemoth.

The colossal Otodus megalodon, Megalodon considered the largest shark ever discovered, may have had a sleeker and longer body than previously thought, according to a recent study published on January 22 in Palaeontologia Electronica.

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Megalodon

Researchers reexamined the fossilized remains of the extinct predator, challenging traditional reconstructions and suggesting a potential shift in its body shape. This reassessment may provide new insights into the biology and lifestyle of megalodon, shedding light on aspects such as its swimming speed and diet.

Reconstructing the appearance of ancient animals, especially those with incomplete fossilized remains like megalodon, is inherently challenging. Typically, modern great white sharks have served as a model for envisioning megalodon’s body structure due to their status as the largest living predatory sharks. However, the new study questions the validity of using great whites as a direct model for megalodon.

The researchers revisited a 2022 reconstruction that extrapolated megalodon’s body shape from great whites, focusing on a megalodon specimen housed in a Belgian museum. The 2022 study estimated a body length of over 11 meters based on the cartilaginous vertebral column of the specimen. However, earlier work in the 1990s had calculated the total length of the same specimen to be approximately 9 meters, using the diameters of the vertebrae and scaling them with the size of great white sharks.

In their reassessment, the team noted that megalodon’s vertebral column appeared relatively thin compared to the robust vertebrae supporting modern relatives like great whites. Challenging the assumption of a great white-shaped megalodon, the researchers proposed a new interpretation: megalodon may have had a longer and more slender body, potentially resembling a bus rather than a van. This adjusted body shape could imply that megalodon was an even larger predator than previously believed.

The study underscores the importance of adopting a broader perspective when reconstructing extinct animals, particularly those without close living relatives. The revised interpretation of megalodon’s body shape may also align with recent research suggesting that the shark was a slow cruiser capable of short bursts of speed. The study’s approach is deemed interesting, but researchers emphasize the ongoing speculative nature of understanding megalodon’s body form and behavior without additional fossil material, particularly from the head and fins.