Why do People Collect Shark Teeth?
That's over 500 pounds (227 kilograms) more than the average American eats in an entire year. Since then, biologists and scientists have unearthed hundreds of fossilized megalodon teeth and centra (boney, vertebraelike spinal segments), allowing us to learn more about this mysterious creature of the ancient seas. Is it really possible for a creature of mega-proportions to live without detection for millions of years? Most scientists, paleontologists and other experts believe from the fossil evidence that megalodon became extinct over 2 million years ago during the Plio-Pleistocene period, but some cryptozoologists and researchers think that this giant shark may still exist in the undiscovered depths of the ocean. Since the skeleton of a shark is primarily made up of cartilage, which disintegrates over time, the only megalodon remains we've discovered are serrated teeth and vertebraelike centra. Megalodon fossils have been discovered far and wide, from Japan to the United States, so researchers conclude that megalodon was an intercontinental species, living all over the world's ancient oceans. The color and width of the rings also help determine growth rate; wide, light rings indicate a faster growth than narrow, dark rings.
Experts can easily determine a megalodon's age at death by examining the centra and counting how many rings appear. Proponents of the theory of megalodon's continued existence often point to eyewitness accounts to debate the possibility of the species' survival. Carcharodon megalodon, the megatooth shark, isn't just a favorite topic among science fiction fans and cryptozoologists (who study evidence of the existence of unverified species) -- it was a real, living shark that roamed the oceans around 1.5 to 20 million years ago. Roesch, Ben S. 1998. A Critical Evaluation of the Supposed Contemporary Existence of Carcharodon megalodon. Some researchers say that the discovery of new, unfossilized teeth proves that megalodon lives, but zoologist and cryptozoology expert Ben Speers-Roesch explains that these reports are erroneous and ignore the fact that no truly unfossilized teeth have ever belonged to megalodon. Occasionally, a report will surface about a large, unidentified shark in the ocean, but those accounts have been mostly discounted as tall tales. Why do people collect shark teeth? Despite the fact that scientists believe megalodon has been extinct for 1.5 to 2 million years, this mysterious megabeast continues to fascinate and educate people today. Megalodon extinction: 1.5 to 2 million years ago.
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Age of earth: 4.6 billion years. Dinosaur extinction: 65 million years ago. First dinosaurs: 225 million years ago. First megalodon: 20 million years ago. First humans: 100,000 years ago. Hundreds of megalodon tooth fossils have been found, and they average 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length -- about the size of a human hand. But, just as human dental records can be examined postmortem to identify remains, shark teeth can also tell experts enough to identify the species and its size, possible prey, and prey size. Since several shark species are showing signs of population decline, scientists look to megalodon to help them understand how a top marine predator can become extinct. The megalodon's only legacy isn't marine conservation, though; it has become a pop culture phenomenon among science fiction fans who gobble up anything related to the megatooth shark. For those who accept megalodon's extinction, one theory puts changes in climate and shifts in the continents as the cause. If the latest reconstruction is accurate, paleontologists believe megalodon was wider than the great white with larger pectoral fins, and could have grown up to 45 to 60 feet (13.7 to 18.2 meters) in length -- about the size of a Greyhound bus.
Using fossilized teeth, scientists have reconstructed the jaws of the megalodon and discovered that this shark's mouth was a staggering 7 feet (2 meters) in diameter. Another suggests that that large predators like orcas and great whites could have preyed on juvenile megalodons, decreasing their chance for survival to adulthood. Megalodon is thought to be related to mako sharks, porbeagle sharks and other lamniformes (sharks with two dorsal fins, five gill slits and a mouth that extends back beyond the eyes), including the great white. By comparison, great white sharks' teeth average around 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. Experts estimate that the average adult female weighed between 50 to 100 tons (45 to 90 metric tons -- about the size of half of a blue whale) and could eat up to 2,500 pounds (1,136 kilograms) of food per day. Life at the top of the food chain meant the megalodon could eat whatever it wanted, and with its supersized, serrated teeth and a wide mouth, it could disable whales and seals easily before gulping them down. So what happened to the megatooth shark that knocked it from the top of the food chain to complete extinction? Most scientists agree a shark of this magnitude would most certainly have been discovered by now if it were still living in its natural habitat.
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