Random Megalodons Were One Of The Most Horrifying Creatures To Swim The Seven Seas (13 items)

(#8) Its Giant Teeth Have Been Found Around The World

In July 2017, a young boy vacationing with his family in Myrtle Beach, SC, found a 5-inch-long megalodon tooth. As of August 2016, Jud Keeling of Suffolk, VA, has found 280 of the fossilized chompers. Teeth have also been found in Italy and Croatia.
(#1) It Was Larger Than Any Currently Living Shark

The megalodon reached lengths of 60 feet during its time at the top of the prehistoric food chain. At an average of 23 feet long, the great white shark is roughly the same length as its ancestor's male reproductive organ.

Whale and basking sharks are closer to the megalodon's size, but still fall short at 46 and 33 feet long, respectively.
(#10) Whales And Turtles Served As Its Food

Fossil records suggest the megalodon went extinct an estimated 2.6 million years ago. This allows scientists to hypothesize which other animals lived at the same time. The Livyatan was a giant sperm whale that weighed 50 tons and was roughly the same length as the megalodon.

Other whales, such as baleen whales, also existed in the oceans with the prehistoric shark and were part of its diet. Seals may have been on the menu as well.
(#2) Its Jaws Could Crush Cars And Whales

Studies conducted by Stephen Wroe of the University of New South Wales in Australia found that the large jaws of the megalodon likely generated a maximum 4,000 pounds of bite force pressure. Its bite force was 10 times that of the great white shark, and even greater than that of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Theoretically, the prehistoric shark could use its jaws to smash a car like a junkyard crusher - although its approximately 7-inch long teeth would likely not survive.
Fossils of baleen whales living at the same time as the megalodon show bite marks from the fearsome creature - the real reason for the strong jaws.
(#5) The Great White Shark Likely Did Not Evolve From Its Big Cousin

Although the teeth of the great white and the megalodon are similarly shaped, the animals are different species. Scientists say great white teeth more closely resemble those of a mako shark.
(#7) Its Teeth Were Misidentified As Moon Rocks And Dragon Tongues

When humans first found megalodon teeth, they believed the giant fossils were rocks that had fallen to Earth from the Moon. Others believed they were the hardened tongues of dragons or giant snakes.
It wasn't until 1666 that a scientist realized the large chunks were actually the fossilized teeth of a shark, after comparing them to the teeth of a shark.