White shark comparison reveals a slender body for the extinct megatooth shark, <i>Otodus megalodon</i> (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)
- Autor(en)
- Phillip Sternes, Patrick Leopold Jambura, Julia Türtscher, Jürgen Kriwet, Mikael Siversson, Iris Feichtinger, Gavin Naylor, Adam P. Summers, John G. Maisey, Taketeru Tomita, Joshua K. Moyer, João Paulo C.B. Da Silva, Hugo Bornatowski, Douglas J. Long, Victor J. Perez, Alberto Collarete, Charlie J. Underwood, David J. Ward, Romain Vullo, Gerardo González-Barba, Harry M. Maisch, Michael L. Griffiths, Martin A. Becker, Jake J. Wood, Kenshu Shimada
- Abstrakt
The megatooth shark, †Otodus megalodon, which likely reached at least 15 m in
total length, is an iconic extinct shark represented primarily by its gigantic teeth in the Neogene fossil record. As one of the largest marine carnivores to ever exist, understanding the biology, evolution, and extinction of †O. megalodon is important because it had a significant impact on the ecology and evolution of marine ecosystems that shaped the present-day oceans. Some attempts inferring the body form of †O. megalodon have been carried out, but they are all speculative due to the lack of any complete skeleton. Here we highlight the fact that the previous total body length estimated from vertebral diameters of the extant white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) for an †O. megalodon individual represented by an incomplete vertebral column is much shorter than the sum of anteroposterior lengths of those fossil vertebrae. This factual evidence indicates that †O. megalodon had an elongated body relative to the body of the modern white shark. Although its exact body form remains unknown, this proposition represents the most parsimonious empirical evidence, which is a significant step towards deciphering the body form of †O. megalodon.- Organisation(en)
- Institut für Paläontologie
- Externe Organisation(en)
- Yale University, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Federal University of Parana, California Academy of Sciences, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Museo de Historia Natural-UABCS, Florida Gulf Coast University, William Paterson University, DePaul University, University of California, Riverside, Western Australian Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHM), Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Washington, Washington & Lee University, American Museum of Natural History, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, University of London, Natural History Museum London, Université Rennes-I
- Journal
- Palaeontologia Electronica
- Band
- 27
- Seiten
- 1-20
- Anzahl der Seiten
- 20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.26879/1345 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5079-megalodon-body-form
- Publikationsdatum
- 01-2024
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 105118 Paläontologie
- Schlagwörter
- ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
- Palaeontology
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/d544e8cb-122f-4ca3-b41e-ba7fde1eea14