Reassessment of the possible size, form, weight, cruising speed, and growth parameters of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and new evolutionary insights into its gigantism, life history strategies, ecology, and extinction

Journal article

K. Shimada, Ryosuke Motani, Jake J. Wood, Phillip C. Sternes, Taketeru Tomita, Mohamad Bazzi, A. Collareta, J. Gayford, Julia Türtscher, Patrick L. Jambura, J. Kriwet, R. Vullo, Douglas J. Long, Adam P. Summers, John G. Maisey, Charlie Underwood, David J. Ward, Harry M. Maisch, Victor J. Perez, I. Feichtinger, Gavin J. P. Naylor, Joshua K Moyer, T. Higham, João Paulo C B da Silva, Hugo Bornatowski, G. González-Barba, Michael L. Griffiths, Martin A. Becker, M. Siversson
Palaeontologia Electronica, 2025

Semantic Scholar DOI PubMedCentral PubMed

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APA Click to copy
Shimada, K., Motani, R., Wood, J. J., Sternes, P. C., Tomita, T., Bazzi, M., … Siversson, M. (2025). Reassessment of the possible size, form, weight, cruising speed, and growth parameters of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and new evolutionary insights into its gigantism, life history strategies, ecology, and extinction. Palaeontologia Electronica.

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Shimada, K., Ryosuke Motani, Jake J. Wood, Phillip C. Sternes, Taketeru Tomita, Mohamad Bazzi, A. Collareta, et al. “Reassessment of the Possible Size, Form, Weight, Cruising Speed, and Growth Parameters of the Extinct Megatooth Shark, Otodus Megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and New Evolutionary Insights into Its Gigantism, Life History Strategies, Ecology, and Extinction.” Palaeontologia Electronica (2025).

MLA Click to copy
Shimada, K., et al. “Reassessment of the Possible Size, Form, Weight, Cruising Speed, and Growth Parameters of the Extinct Megatooth Shark, Otodus Megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and New Evolutionary Insights into Its Gigantism, Life History Strategies, Ecology, and Extinction.” Palaeontologia Electronica, 2025.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{k2025a,
  title = {Reassessment of the possible size, form, weight, cruising speed, and growth parameters of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and new evolutionary insights into its gigantism, life history strategies, ecology, and extinction},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Palaeontologia Electronica},
  author = {Shimada, K. and Motani, Ryosuke and Wood, Jake J. and Sternes, Phillip C. and Tomita, Taketeru and Bazzi, Mohamad and Collareta, A. and Gayford, J. and Türtscher, Julia and Jambura, Patrick L. and Kriwet, J. and Vullo, R. and Long, Douglas J. and Summers, Adam P. and Maisey, John G. and Underwood, Charlie and Ward, David J. and Maisch, Harry M. and Perez, Victor J. and Feichtinger, I. and Naylor, Gavin J. P. and Moyer, Joshua K and Higham, T. and da Silva, João Paulo C B and Bornatowski, Hugo and González-Barba, G. and Griffiths, Michael L. and Becker, Martin A. and Siversson, M.}
}

Abstract

Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae) is an iconic Neogene shark, but the lack of well-preserved skeletons has hampered our understanding of various aspects of its biology. Here, we reassess some of its biological properties using a new approach, based on known vertebral specimens of O. megalodon and 165 species of extinct and extant neoselachian sharks across ten orders. Using the median neurocranial and caudal fin proportions relative to the trunk proportion among non-mitsukurinid/non-alopiid lamniforms, we show that O. megalodon could have had a slender body and possibly reached about 24.3 m in length. Allometric considerations indicate that a stout body plan like the extant white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) for O. megalodon could have incurred excessive hydrodynamic costs, further supporting the interpretation that O. megalodon likely had a slenderer body than C. carcharias. A 24.3-m-long O. megalodon may have weighed around 94 t, with an estimated cruising speed of 2.1–3.5 km h-1. A reanalysis of vertebral growth bands suggests a size at birth of 3.6–3.9 m for O. megalodon, supporting the previous interpretations of its ovoviviparity and embryos’ intrauterine oophagous behavior, but less likely the need for nursery areas. Additional inferred growth patterns corroborated by the known fossil record support the hypothesis that the emergence of C. carcharias during the Early Pliocene is at least partly responsible for the demise of O. megalodon due to competition for resources. These interpretations are working hypotheses expected to serve as reasonable reference points for future studies on the biology of O. megalodon.