[Animals] The megalodon was so big that it could devour prehistoric beasts the size of today's killer whales.

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The megalodon had such a wide diet that it acted as a regulator of large predators in prehistoric oceans.
The megalodon's jaws were packed with sharp fangs. The largest pieces of the species that have been found reach 19 centimeters. As one of the most voracious animals of Prehistory, they dominated the seas 5 million years ago. Even the fiercest predators of that remote past fled from them, according to a study recently published in Science Advances.

For the investigation, scientists calculated the approximate dimensions of the megalodon using a 3D model. With them, they determined that these prehistoric animals may have had no problem devouring entire killer whales—or animals that resembled them in size and mass. For this reason, they have been classified as 'super predators' for decades.

We suggest: The great white shark drove the fearsome megalodon to extinction millions of years ago, a study suggests

Orcas and other predators for breakfast

The researchers acknowledge that it is difficult to infer the actual dimensions of the megalodon. They even qualify the current estimates as "rudimentary." More than anything, because only remains of fangs are preserved. Other parts of their bodies have rarely been found. Even with these limitations, scientists discovered that this prehistoric titan was larger than originally thought.

However, the teeth are enough to calculate the speed with which these apex predators swam, as well as the type of food they had in the past. With these fossil remains, they obtained the first full-body three-dimensional model of this giant shark:

“WE ESTIMATE THAT AN ADULT O. MEGALODON COULD NAVIGATE AT ABSOLUTE SPEEDS FASTER THAN ANY CURRENT SHARK SPECIES AND COMPLETELY CONSUME PREY THE SIZE OF MODERN APEX PREDATORS,” THE AUTHORS WRITE FOR SCIENCE.

With this, the megalodon had no problem adapting its diet to 'large prey', as the researchers describe them. On the contrary, in its long migrations, it was able to adapt to the species it encountered along the way. With this, also, the species contributed to the ecological balance of the prehistoric oceans. Above all, because it regulated the po[CENSORED]tions of other ancient predators.

With all of the above, the authors think that "its extinction probably had a great impact on the global transfer of nutrients", as well as on the prehistoric food chain.

Speculative measures
Despite the euphoria generated by the megalodon tusk finds, the researchers at DePaul University in Chicago know that the measurements they made are only approximations.

“THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE SKELETON, SUCH AS THE SKULL, THE JAWS AND ALL THE FINS, REMAIN SPECULATION,” KENSHU SHIMADA, PROFESSOR OF PALEOBIOLOGY AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY IN CHICAGO, EXPLAINS TO THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Still, it is certain that not even the largest predators of the Cretaceous period could cope with the ravenous hunger of this prehistoric giant. From this 3D model, rough as it is, it's clear that the megalodon could feast on killer whales, sharks, and other prehistoric beasts in the deep sea.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/el-megalodon-tenia-una-dieta-tan-amplia-que-regulo-a-otros-depredadores-prehistoricos/