Megalodon: All you need to know
Steve Backshall looks at one of the deadliest predators of all time, the largest shark ever known to have lived - the megalodon!
How big was the megalodon?
The length of this humongous shark was a whopping 16 metres and possibly as much as 20 metres. It has been recreated in the video above using the most up-to-date modern science.
That's way bigger than the basking shark, the biggest fish in the UK.聽
It's bigger than the biggest whale shark, which is the largest fish found on our planet today.
In fact, it's closer in length to a modern sperm whale.聽
Its stomach may have held 10,000 litres, that's enough for it to have eaten 20 whole cows...if cows swam in the sea.
How big are the megalodon's teeth?
Watch the video above to see how big the megalodon's tooth compares to that of a great white shark. You can also see how big it is in the photo below!
Which has a stronger bite? A T-Rex or the megalodon?
The megalodon had the strongest bite force of any animal that ever lived, three times that of a T-Rex.聽
Is the megalodon still alive?
Sorry to break this to you, but no, the Meg has been gone at least two million years ago and possibly even longer than that.
Did the megalodon exist with dinosaurs?
No. Even though both animals are now extinct, they never existed at the same time.聽
What did the megalodon eat?
Megalodons were at the top of the food chain so could pretty much eat anything! They were carnivorous, so would eat meat, including other predators. They definitely had the teeth for it!
Where did the megalodon live?
The megalodon lived in most parts of the ocean (except near the north and south pole). The most northern fossils are found off the coast of Denmark and the most southern in New Zealand.
Megalodon fossils
The mighty gnashers of the meg are one of the most common of all fossils. It's not surprising, really. They're big, they're hard and, like a modern shark, the megalodon would have lost and then replaced them tens of thousands of times through its lifetime.
