According to a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the megalodon shark, made famous by Hollywood, was the greatest marine predator to ever exist.
It could reach lengths of up to 50 feet and was surprisingly warm-blooded
Megalodon’s Adaptation Contributed To Extinction
The megs’ astute adaptation allowed it to explore frigid waters and increase its range, but ironically, it also caused it to lose vital energy, possibly leading to the extinction of the species.
The majority of the fossilized remains of the shark are lengthy teeth, which were examined by the experts to learn how the creatures coped with chilly environments.
They focused on the apatite tooth mineral, which had carbon and oxygen isotopes that show the temperature the shark’s body had sustained under difficult circumstances.
The Pliocene Epoch, when the megalodon went extinct approximately 3.6 million years ago, was a period of ocean cooling and significant biological upheaval.
However, they also gathered and analyzed the teeth of megalodons and other sharks from five different areas across the world in order to more accurately determine the shark’s temperature.
The megalodon displayed an extraordinary capacity to maintain a constant body temperature, consistently hovering about 13 degrees above the surrounding water, regardless of the temperature in those locations.
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Insights Into Endothermy Vs. Mesothermy
The main debate was on whether or not the megalodon was actually endothermic, like humans. Sharks are mesothermic, which means they hang onto warmth but typically lack a central mechanism for thermoregulation.
This is because many sharks store heat produced in their muscles. In contrast, the hypothalamus is a part of the brain that strictly regulates body temperature in humans.
The shark was able to go farther and more quickly thanks to this thermoregulation, but the energy cost rendered it more susceptible to ecological forces.
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