The extinct shark Otodus megalodon, meaning "big tooth," was an enormous predator that dominated oceans for approximately 20 million years before disappearing around 3.6 million years ago. Reconstructions based on its massive teeth and rare vertebrae suggest it reached lengths of at least 50 feet, with some estimates up to 80 feet, possessing a bite force ten times that of a great white shark. Megalodon likely preyed on large marine mammals, leaving behind fossilized bones with severe bite marks, and its extinction is hypothesized to be linked to global ocean cooling. AI
RANK_REASON Article discusses a prehistoric animal based on fossil evidence and scientific reconstruction. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.0]
- great white shark
- megalodon
- Miocene
- Negaprion brevirostris
- Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
- Palaeontologia Electronica
- Pliocene
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