Did you know that the Megalodon was the biggest prehistoric shark that ever lived?! It was the biggest predatory marine creature in the history of the planet.
Megalodon Jaws Museum of Natural History
The Megalodon shark earned its name “giant tooth” for their monstrously large choppers! Over half a foot long, serrated, and heart-shaped (by comparison, the biggest teeth of a Great White Shark are only about three inches long).
Sharks are constantly shedding their teeth over the course of a lifetime–Megalodon teeth have been found all over the world, from antiquity to modern times.
In 2008, a joint research team from Australia and the U.S. used computer simulations to calculate Megalodon’s biting power. The results can only be described as terrifying: whereas a modern Great White Shark chomps with about 1.8 tons of force, Megalodon chomped down on its prey with a force of between 10.8 and 18.2 tons–enough to crush the skull of a prehistoric whale as easily as a grape.
Megalodon’s size has been a matter of debate. Over the past century, paleontologists have come up with estimates ranging from 40 to 100 feet, but the consensus today is that adults were 55 to 60 feet long and weighed as much as 100 tons!
Shark fossils are extremely rare because sharks have no bones, only cartilage, which does not fossilize well. Their teeth, however, are very hard. Their teeth are made of a bone-like material coated with hard enamel and they fossilize very well. Megalodon teeth are similar to those of the Great White Shark, but are much bigger, thicker, and with finer serrations.
Scott & Bella were sent this Megalodon tooth from their friend Teresa Shaw at Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center in North Carolina. It was discovered during their dive at Meg Ledge off the coast in Wilmington North Carolina about 24-40 miles off shore in 100-110 foot deep water. The day of the dive Aquatic Pleasures Dive Center recovered hundreds. You can contact them direct at their website www.DiveNowWorkLater.com to purchase one, or better yet-Dive with them to find one yourself! They have another dive scheduled June 16th and 17th-book your spot TODAY and create your own adventure!
For every inch of tooth (tip at gum line point to tip of end of tooth) is approximately 10-12 ft of shark. This tooth is about 5 inches so this came from a massive shark.
It is awe inspiring to me that you can hold a bit of pre historic history in your hand. Part of a savage beast that lurked in the deep and terrorized the seas all those years ago, the perfect gift for any Sea lover.
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
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