Giant megalodon shark could eat a whale in a few bites, research shows

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A giant shark that swam in the world’s oceans millions of years ago could devour prey up to 26ft long – the size of a killer whale – in just five bites, scientists say they have discovered. Researchers used fossil evidence to create a 3D model of the megalodon, one of the biggest predatory fish of all time, which lived an estimated 23 million to 2.6 million years ago. “There is nothing really matching it.” The researchers built their 3D model after a vertebral column from a megalodon that died 18 million years ago aged 46 was found in fossils in the oceans of Belgium. The researchers said: “The novel biological inferences drawn from this study represent a leap in our knowledge of this singular super-predator and help to better understand the ecological function that megafaunal species play in marine ecosystems, and the large-scale consequences of their extinction.” Previous research has found megalodons grew to larger sizes in cooler waters than in warmer areas.