Definition of Carcharodon Megalodon

Carcharodon megalodon is the scientific name for an extinct shark that inhabited the oceans millions of years ago. Its name literally means "big tooth". As for his appearance, the fossil remains found show that this shark was quite similar to the white shark.

In 1975 the movie "Jaws" by Steven Spielberg appeared on the big screen. To the margin From its commercial success, this fictional story about a killer white shark was a starting point for great sharks to become fashionable.

For centuries the few fossil remains of the megalodon were incorrectly interpreted. It was believed that they belonged to fantastic animals described in mythological accounts. This vision changed radically when the Danish polymath Nicolás Steno first identified the megalodon through fossilized teeth.

As for his classification What speciesIt was in the 19th century when this prehistoric shark received its current name.

The teeth of this extinct shark were over a meter and a half tall. Regarding its size as a species, scientists do not agree but it is very likely that it had a

amplitude close to twenty meters (this size is quite similar to that of the whale shark).

The jaws of the megalodon have been studied for their unique characteristics and for this reason in some natural history museums there are reproductions of their powerful jaws.

This marine giant of the prehistory It is considered one of the greatest predators in animal history.

Its fossil remains have been found in all oceans and this data suggests that the shark easily adapted to different marine ecosystems.

With regard to its extinction, the exact causes are unknown but it is very likely that the cooling of the waters was the factor that triggered its disappearance as a species.

From the thousand-year-old fascination with sea monsters to the movies of killer sharks

Fantastic tales of monsters living in the depths of the sea often appeared in ancient mythological tales. An example in this sense is the Kraken monster from Scandinavian mythology, a fantastic creature that was described as having the appearance of a giant octopus with powerful tentacles.

Is tradition literary has adapted to the world of movie theater and the species had its own movie in 2002, "Shark Attack 3: Megalodon."

Photo Fotolia: Igor Kovalchuk

Themes in Carcharodon Megalodon