A new scientific study, led by Phillip Sterhes, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica last week, confirmed that the megalodon, the prehistoric shark that inhabited the oceans between 20 million and 3.6 million years ago, would have reached a size of approximately 24 meters (80 feet).
The scientific novelty is that until now a complete skeleton of this species had not been found, and most of the scientific studies on its size have been based on the analysis of its teeth and fossil vertebrae.
Previous estimates indicated that the megalodon could measure between 18 and 20 meters in length. The new research, which analyzed more than 150 species of living and extinct sharks, has provided a more precise picture of this predator's anatomy.
One of the key fossils in this study is an 11-meter section of a megalodon spine, the largest discovered so far. From this finding, scientists extrapolated the body proportions and estimated that these sharks could reach up to 24.3 meters in length, the equivalent of an eight-story building.
Although the megalodon has traditionally been portrayed as a gigantic version of the great white shark, the new study challenges this image, as it is considered that there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the megalodon was the same shape as the great white.
Another surprising fact is that their offspring could have measured between 3.6 and 3.9 meters at birth, which would make them larger than many adult sharks today.