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Where was this giant tooth found?
The teeth was discovered fully preserved at a depth of 3,000 meters on the ocean floor in the central Pacific. Professors of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, Katie Kelley and Rebecca Robinson, found this fossil while participating in an expedition sponsored by the Ocean Exploration Trust to the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
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Who does this tooth belong to?
The fossil most likely belonged to a Megalodon, one of the biggest carnivores to have ever existed on Earth. The size of the tooth does not lie, but further study is needed to support this hypothesis. The oldest Megalodon fossils date back to about 23 million years, and they have been discovered all across the world!
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What was the size of the Megalodon?
One of the most potent predators that have ever lived was the megalodon. According to fossil evidence, this enormous shark had a jaw pressure of 500 kg/cm2, a maximum length of 18.5 meters, and an average size of 10.5 meters. The megalodon tooth measures up to 13.5 centimeters in length, whereas the maximum length of a white shark tooth is three centimeters, giving us a sense of its immensity
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The characteristics of the Megalodon
Although some experts speculate that the megalodon may have resembled the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) or the bull shark, scientists believe the megalodon was a larger form of the great white shark (Carcharias taurus). The megalodon was an ubiquitous predator found across the waters, and it liked the coasts because it was simple to find the enormous marine mammals that it undoubtedly consumed there.
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The extinction of the megalodon
Although the megalodon has been extinct for millions of years, some zoologists believe it may still exist today. This claim, however, is highly improbable because the enormous shark in question was a coastal predator, making it difficult to imagine that any survivors could be found in deep waters.
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