Why did the megalodon go extinct but not sharks?

First, the climate dramatically changed. Global water temperature dropped; that reduced the area where megalodon, a warm-water shark, could thrive. Second, because of the changing climate, entire species that megalodon preyed upon vanished forever.

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Why did the megalodon definitely become extinct?

Megalodons succumbed to global cooling due to the shrinking of their habitat, the vanishing of their favorite prey, and competition from other predators 3.5 million years ago.

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What shark caused the megalodon to go extinct?

Research suggests that great white sharks may have contributed to the extinction of megalodon sharks. Megalodon sharks, Otodus megalodon, lurked in oceans around the globe between 23 and 3.6 million years ago. The megatooth sharks are distinctive for their enormous size, with some reaching up to 20 metres in length.

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Did megalodon go extinct because of great white sharks?

But megalodons are believed to have been wiped out because of food competition with great white sharks. The fact that both megalodons and great white sharks could swallow whole their prey led to direct competition between them.

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How do we know megalodons existed?

It's known as the megalodon, believed to be the largest shark species to ever exist. Evidence in the teeth and bite marks found on fossilized bones suggest these ancient sharks were swimming the ocean between 23 million and 3.5 million years ago.

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The Why and How of the Megalodon Extinction (What Killed the Giant Shark)

27 related questions found

How many Megalodon's are left?

Megalodons are extinct. They died out about 3.5 million years ago. And scientists know this because, once again, they looked at the teeth.

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Who was the first person to find a Megalodon?

Megalodon was first described in 1835 by Swiss-born American naturalist, geologist, and teacher Louis Agassiz, who named the species Carcharodon megalodon.

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Who hunted megalodons?

Mature megalodons likely did not have any predators, but newly birthed and juvenile individuals may have been vulnerable to other large predatory sharks, such as great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), whose ranges and nurseries are thought to have overlapped with those of megalodon from the end of the Miocene and ...

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Is The Big Daddy shark Real?

Big Daddy is based off of a mutant version the actual extinct fish Dunkleosteus. Dunkleosteus was not a shark but actually an armored fish.

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Could a megalodon still exist?

Since these fictional documentaries, where science was removed and fiction was inserted are fairly popular, many people now believe that megalodon is still alive. The answer to the megalodon question is a resounding NO. Megalodon went extinct around 3.5 million years ago.

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Can megalodon come again?

Is the megalodon still alive? 'No. It's definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past,' notes Emma. 'If an animal as big as megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it.'

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What's the biggest shark alive?

The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world. It is found in tropical and temperate oceans, in both deep water and coastal areas.

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How long did megalodons live?

Some megalodons are estimated to have been much larger―as long as 50 feet. Using the data from this study, together with previous research, the researchers concluded that the potential lifespan of megalodons was 88-100 years.

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Did megalodon exist with dinosaurs?

Even though megalodons and dinosaurs are both extinct, they never coexisted. The dinosaurs died out about 66 million years ago. Megalodons came later. The oldest megalodon fossils are from the Miocene Epoch, which began 23 million years ago.

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Why are there no megalodon fossils?

So far we've only found teeth and vertebrae of megalodons. Like other sharks, most of their skeleton is made from cartilage which doesn't preserve well in the fossil record.

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How did titanoboa go extinct?

The super snake's kryptonite was natural climate change. In this case, it was probably shifting tectonics that disrupted ocean currents and lowered temperatures. Warm-blooded animals that could handle the cooler, drier conditions were now kings and queens of the jungle.

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Is the Godzilla shark real?

The Godzilla Shark Fossil: Its Discovery

A team of researchers from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) discovered the Godzilla Shark. They found the extinct animal fossil in the Manzano Mountains while learning about other fossils in the area.

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Is The Dragon shark Real?

The Hoffman's Dragon Shark (Dracopristis hoffmanorum) is an extinct species of shark that lived during the Carboniferous period about 307 million years ago. The fossil of this prehistoric shark was discovered in New Mexico in 2013, and the first full description was published in 2021.

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What is the scariest real life shark?

  • Whale Shark.
  • Basking Shark.
  • Shortfin Mako.
  • Great Hammerhead Shark.
  • Sand Tiger Sharks.
  • Blacktip shark.
  • Oceanic whitetip.
  • Bull sharks.

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Did megalodons eat each other?

Iconic Giant Megalodon Was Predator's Predator, Even Eating Each Other. The ultimate predator of predators was a massive 50-foot-long shark that was so powerful it even ate predators that ate other predators.

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Did megalodons eat orcas?

The extinct superpredator megalodon was big enough to eat orcas, scientists say | CNN.

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How aggressive was megalodon?

It is reputed to be one of the most vicious predators in history. Megalodon easily dwarfed the great white shark in size by about two or three times. Surely, after examining the physical characteristics of the species, we can understand why it earned such a terrible reputation.

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How much is a megalodon tooth worth?

To give you a general price range for commercial grade (has some defects) Megalodon teeth. 2-3” teeth will typically be in the $20 to $60 range, 3-4” teeth will fall into the $50-100 range, 4-5” teeth the $100-200 range, 5-5 ½” teeth $200-400, etc.

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Where did megalodon give birth?

Carcharocles megalodon would have given birth in shallower waters, and as they grew in age they would leave the shallows and go deeper for bigger prey. This was necessary because C. megalodon was estimated to eat between 1300lbs to 3000lbs of food a day at full maturity.

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What is the oldest megalodon tooth ever found?

The oldest megalodon fossils are fossilized teeth from around 20 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch. A child in England found a megalodon tooth on a beach and it is the oldest one ever found. Megalodon teeth are not uncommon and many are for sale online for as little as 20 dollars.

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