Certain species, such as the blue shark and whale shark, have been known to have litters of as many as 100 pups. Reviews of every male enhancement pill and product on. The Spiny Dogfish lives for over a century, and some Whale Sharks have been known to do the same. jack | 29/04 2014 20:13 meglodons life cycle Positive: 57.142857142857 %. Like a human embryo, the baby sharks receive nutrients inside the womb from an umbilical cord. Each shark species has its own expected life span and it is difficult to set an average for sharks as a whole. It is believed that female megalodons gave birth in nursery sites where the pups would be safer from predators. Some baby sharks may even eat their siblings after eating the unfertilized eggs. Baby sharks look quite similar to … LookD.com describes how a male shark can fertilize the eggs with his pelvic fin, which has developed into an organ to deliver Three types of sharks exist and, in two of these types, the eggs remain inside the mother shark for a period between nine and 22 months for gestation. She primarily writes about computer- and internet-related topics, especially those concerning website maintenance and programming. Possible answer. Certain species, such as the blue shark and Baby sharks look quite similar to grown sharks, only smaller. Is to showcase the richness of such an indispensable. making it extremely effective and deadly as an ocean predator.In addition to the megalodon’s powerful bite this beast was able to use its size and weight to overpower its prey and cause serious damage.When it comes to attacking their prey some of the hunting methods these large beasts used to capture their food may include biting and thrashing to tear the flesh off of their prey, striking their prey extremely hard from the side or bottom to injure it (possibly breaking the animals back/spine), attacking the tail, flippers or flukes to prevent their prey from being able to swim or escape, swimming beneath their prey to ambush it by surprise and grabbing the helpless animal with its teeth and lunging out of the water to disorient and immobilize its prey.Theoretically the megalodon used its bottom jaw and teeth to anchor itself onto its prey while using the top jaw and teeth to repeatedly bite down on the flesh using its flexible upper jaw to separate the flesh using a raking motion in order to maximize the wound size and damage to its prey.As far as how quickly the megalodon swam the top speed of the megalodon is unknown however researchers think that it reached speeds of at least 20 mph, which helped it outrun or keep pace with its prey.In order to maintain its energy these large sharks may have consumed anywhere from 1,300 – 2,700 lbs.
By Amelia Meyer. of food on a daily basis.When you’re as large as a megalodon (and potentially warm-blooded) you can’t survive without hunting significant amounts of food.While the megalodon was the apex predator of its time researchers believe that it may have been attacked from time to time by other animals in the ocean that were able to defend themselves and fend off an attack from a megalodon.In fact there was at least one animal that was known to put up quite a fight when attacked by a megalodon and this animal is known as the Squalodon.The squalodon is an extinct species of toothed whale that existed during the same period of the megalodon.These prehistoric whales were extremely intelligent and were believed to hunt/live in pods (groups containing several whales) which not only provided them with better opportunities to capture prey but also gave them an advantage when being attacked by a megalodon or other large predatory animal.What the squalodon lacked in size it made up for in numbers.In addition to traveling in groups squalodons also possessed long beaks with triangular serrated teeth that were designed for biting and tearing.This allowed the toothed whale to not only be able to consume a wide range of foods but also defend itself if necessary.When a megalodon attempted to attack a squalodon it is believed that others moved in to attack the megalodon and wound it rendering the large shark defenseless, wounded and weak.The megalodon may have successfully attacked and killed a squalodon but not without being injured itself.Lastly, observations of the squalodon’s skull appear to show the existence of a prehistoric echolocation system that may have helped these toothed whales identify food and potential predators from a distance.If these animals did indeed possess an advanced echolocation system it is possible that they may have used this to orchestrate defensive procedures and attacks in order to protect themselves and wound potential predators.Unfortunately little is known about the squalodon and even less is known about other potential animals that may have been able to fight off or even seriously injure the massive apex megalodon.Over the course of millions of years sharks have changed dramatically in terms of size and in some ways in terms of the foods they consume.Unlike prehistoric sharks such as the megalodon today’s predators aren’t known for hunting large whales, dugongs or giant sea turtles.Instead they’re known for consuming smaller fish as the primary bulk of their diet, however some sharks may also attack sea lions, seals and other small marine mammals.Part of the reason sharks may have lost some of their size has to do with evolutionary changes that made it easier for sharks to consume smaller quantities of food which makes it easier for them to survive without having to face food shortages.Prehistoric sharks such as the megalodon needed to maintain a pretty hefty diet in order to maintain its massive body therefore it needed a diet that included large fish, whales and other large animals.Many of the sharks that exist today however are able to thrive by consuming much smaller food and at lower quantities than their prehistoric relatives.Being smaller provides sharks with several advantages such as being able to maintain their food supply more easily, facing less competition for food which allows them to give birth to large numbers of babies without diminishing their own supply of prey and being able to adapt better to climate changes and other environmental factors.In fact two of the most common theories related to why the megalodon became extinct has to do with food shortages (they consumed a lot) and changes in the earths climate/habitat.While the media often glorifies sharks as vicious killing machines it is estimated that 95% of shark species alive today do not pose a threat to humans.As researchers continually use the great white as a reference point for the megalodon in regards to determining what the megalodon looked like and how it hunted there are growing arguments about whether or not these two species are closely related.Given the fact that the megalodon and great white are both apex predators and have shown some similarities in the shape and serrations in their teeth some researchers believe that there may have been some close associations between the two species.Reconstruction of the megalodons appearance often tends to mimic some of the features of the great white shark.In fact research performed on the calcification patterns of the great white sharks vertebrae suggests that the great white may have been closely related to the megalodon.Not all parties agree however with the idea that the megalodon and great white are closely related.Researchers that believe the megalodon and great white are not closely related point out that upon close inspection of the teeth of the two species the serrations are differentiated between the two animals and the jaws appear to show distinct differences among the two species as well.It has been pointed out that some of the oldest fossil records found on the great white predate 4 -16 million years which suggest that the great white (or its prehistoric relative) coexisted with the megalodon and therefore was a separate species.Looking at the historical features of old and modern day great whites some researchers believe that one of the great whites closest ancestral family members is actually the mako shark and not the megalodon.Unfortunately these debates and arguments have made it difficult to determine the relationship between the two species and our limited knowledge of the megalodon makes it hard to come to a concrete yes or no decision.In either case researchers often rely on the great white as a reference point to determine the appearance and behavior of the megalodon as limited information on this shark has required some interpretation and theory rather than cold hard facts.While large sharks such as the megalodon were known as the apex predators of their time things have changed.Sharks are still one of the worlds most effective hunters in the ocean, however today they are not only hunters but also the hunted.Although attacks may not occur often large predators such as the killer whale have been known to hunt sharks when they are hungry and other forms of prey are not available.In fact numerous cases have been observed where killer whales (these marine mammals are actually dolphins) have been known to successfully attack and immobilize sharks in order to render them defenseless as the killer whales move in for the kill.Sperm whales have also been observed with shark contents found in their stomachs which suggests that these large whales may occasionally consume sharks when other food sources are unavailable or accidentally consume sharks while also consuming other prey.This isn’t to say that sharks are no longer able to take on marine mammals.While attacks appear to be sporadic there are cases where a large predatory shark may attack a small dolphin or marine mammal in an attempt to wound and kill it.These attacks aren’t always successful because dolphins have numerous advantages that make them hard to capture.For starters dolphins often travel in groups which provides them with some protection from otherwise potentially dangerous predators.Dolphins are also highly intelligent, agile, fast and possess echolocation making them hard to catch and even harder to kill.Sharks on the other hand aren’t known for making intelligent decisions and may attack prey that is well defended without considering the consequences.Sharks don’t hunt in organized groups either therefore they are often left to hunt for food by themselves, unless other sharks in the area are interested in attacking the same meal.These attacks are much different than those found in dolphins which can use echolocation to identify other dolphins in the group, strategize and collaborate in order to defend themselves or isolate prey.In some ways you can say the tables have turned or at least become more balanced among sharks and Sharks aren’t as powerful or large as they once were and marine mammals have become extremely intelligent and well adapted to better protect themselves from being attacked by predators.When it comes to determining why the megalodon became extinct no one really knows what happened.Numerous theories have been proposed to explain the possible extinction of this species which include:Research of climate cooling and the lack of megalodon bones being found in colder areas suggests that the megalodon may have declined in numbers due their inability to survive in cold environments.This evidence is further observed by the fact the megalodon appear to have been much less abundant (if not absent) in cold climate regions.Ocean cooling, the formation of glaciers and declining sea levels may have all played a role in the eventual elimination of the megalodon.Another potential reason the megalodon species may have become extinct is due to food shortages.During earlier prehistoric times the diversity of whale species was much higher than it is today.In fact is estimated that there were around 20 different genera of whale in existence during their prime as compared to only 6 genera living today.This suggests that changes in the oceanic environment combined with cooling and the extinction of numerous genera of whales may have ensured the megalodon’s own extinction.Because megalodon also consumed fish it is possible that they may have turned to cannibalism as their food supplies continually dwindled speeding up the extinction efforts of their species.After all sharks are actually a predatory species of fish.While some of the megalodons food supplies may have become extinct over time other species may have become migratory in order to maintain their own life and stability.Assuming the foods they ate began to migrate it would cause megalodon to experience food shortages during certain times of the year or permanently as their primary food sources migrate away from the warmer waters.As stated earlier the megalodon preferred inhibiting warm environments and may have had difficulty surviving in non subtropical waters, therefore it may have faced food shortages when their prey began to migrate away to other environments.Again this was likely caused by climate changes during the Pliocene and Pleistocene era where significant cooling and ice formations began to lower the global temperature.Seeing as how modern day whales have developed thick layers of blubber to deal with cooler climates it’s possible that they stood a much better chance of surviving in these colder climates as they migrated to their new habitat.A fourth theory often proposed to explain the possible extinction of the megalodon has to do with facing competition from new competitors.As the megalodon continued to struggle with changes in the oceans environment other species were provided more opportunities to flourish and consume some of the prey that megalodon once relied on for its own survival.The new competition further hindered the megalodons ability to find food and its inability to thrive in cooler climates meant this species of shark was very limited in its ability to sustain a stable diet and/or lifestyle.While each of these theories has some merit of its own scientists and researchers often believe it was a combination of these theories that led to the megalodon’s death.The cooling of the ocean and changing structure of the oceans habitat combined with food shortages, migration and competition all played a role in reducing the megalodon populations which eventually caused the species to become extinct.This part of the article will explore the claims regarding the existence of the megalodon today as well as the arguments made to try to debunk these claims.Over the years there have been numerous myths, stories and hoaxes about recent appearances of the megalodon.The most common information used as “potential” evidence of the megalodons existence include:One of the most commonly brought up arguments regarding the possible existence of the megalodon in today’s oceans has to do with images and video.A handful of photographs and/or videos have been observed by “researchers” who have made claims that these pictures/videos show possible evidence of the megalodon’s existence in recent years.Unfortunately these photographs are often old, low quality and only show a single body part such as a fin or tail, which does not provide substantial evidence of its existence.As far as videos of the megalodon are concerned the evidence appears just is limited in regards to quality, quantity and proof.In fact many of the videos out today largely focus on talking about the handful of images that have been “acquired” rather than displaying actual video of a megalodon.Recounted stories from people in various parts of the world claiming to have witnessed a live megalodon have also been reported for decades.These stories often take the place of megalodon sightings which are generally (but not always) seen by fisherman that is out hunting fish in local waters.In fact there are at least a handful of stated accounts and claims made over the last 150 years of potential megalodon sharks infesting their local waters, however as with the photographs the evidence is extremely limited and based on personal opinion rather than hard science or facts.In recent years there’s even been a few documentary/docufictions from highly reputable sources suggesting the idea that the megalodon may still exist.One of the most recent and debated docufictions of recent times is Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives.Despite a few small disclaimers about the story many researchers, scientists and viewers felt that the show was or appeared to be a false depiction of evidence of the megalodon’s existence.Aside from this there have been numerous stories and articles on television and on the internet that lend themselves to the idea of the megalodon’s existence.Recent findings of physical evidence regarding the existence of a recently living, breathing megalodon is extremely limited, if not non existent.In fact only one known claim of a “possible” recently found megalodon tooth (possibly dating between 10,000 – 15,000 years old) is said to have been recovered from the British survey ship HMS Challenger according to our research, however the only information we’ve gathered from this claim comes from various indirect websites and not the source.Other than this claim there hasn’t been any known solid physical components (bones or body parts) of a megalodon shark found to have existed in recent years.Furthermore we have no evidence that the British survey ship HMS Challenger and its team has even made these claims and it appears that many of the more reputable websites on the web have not made these claims either or even mentioned this finding in their information on the megalodon.With numerous claims being made about the megalodons existence why do so many researchers and scientists believe that these statements are nothing more than a form of entertainment or attention?From what has been observed so far (minus the myths and hoaxes) it seems very unlikely that the megalodon would be swimming around in our oceans today.Let’s take a deeper look as to why the megalodon is likely an extinct species.There are a several reasons for the likely extinction of the megalodon species which we’ll explain shortly, however you can think of megalodon sightings the same way people view They are all considered legends and believed by some to exist today, however no one can truly prove their existence.Much of the evidence supporting the claims of spotting one of these legendary animals is often very limited, weak and does not provide enough information to confirm the existence of their species.The lack of bone fragments/fossils and DNA, insufficient findings of carcasses consumed by these wild animals and the lack of indisputable video/photographic proof makes it extremely difficult (if not impossible) to prove they truly exist.Given the fact that researchers are able to identify the age, characteristics and diets of dinosaurs and megalodon sharks that have become extinct millions of year ago one would think that evidence of the Bigfoot, Chupacabra or Loch Ness Monster would be more substantial, especially given the technology and photographic/video recording devices we have at our disposal available today.If you look at the most common theories for why the megalodon became extinct it becomes quite clear that these issues would still exist today and that the only way the megalodon could survive is if it went through significant evolutionary changes.Climate/habitat changes, competition for resources and food, and changing migration patterns of prey are all important factors that the megalodon would have to adapt to if it were to survive in the world today.Perhaps our own imaginations, desires and interests to believe that the megalodon is secretly inhibiting our oceans is what drives us towards the possibility of its current existence, despite compelling evidence that suggests otherwise.Could the megalodon continue to live if it did not evolve and how much would it be able to evolve over a relatively short period of time in order to survive today?These are the types of questions one has to ask when trying to determine whether or not the megalodon would be able to live in our oceans.While not everyone agrees on these questions/answers it is likely that in order for the megalodon to survive in today’s world it would likely have to reduce its overall size significantly in order to maintain its food supply and thrive in the modern ocean.The megalodon may also have to change its primary food sources in order to make it easier for it to sustain its energy.After all many of the prey they hunted 28 – 1.5 million years ago have either become extinct or have become the ancestors of evolved species.Given the fact that 1.5 million years isn’t a lot of time on the evolutionary side the amount of physiological changes and adaptations the shark would have to develop in order to survive in this time can only by hypothetical.When you look at some of the oceans largest animals such as The ability to consume large swarms of small prey or plants rather than consuming large animals becomes a significant advantage for today’s top predators, especially since these small animals and plants have the ability to survive in varying climates and reproduce at fairly high rates which makes it easy for them to maintain a more stable food source.If the megalodon existed today it would likely live in warm subtropical climates where it’s easier for them to thrive and survive, however they would likely consume large quantities of marine mammals if they managed to maintain their large size and diet.If this were the case the megalodon would likely have left evidence of its existence from the carcasses of the food it consumed.The only other option the megalodon would have to hide its existence is to dramatically change its diet towards consuming fish and other small prey that wouldn’t leave any evidence.This would likely be quite difficult for the megalodon as it typically requires a large diet (which includes whales) in order to survive and thrive.The megalodon’s subtropical environmental preference also means that they would likely inhibit warm waters all year long and if there were any substantial populations of megalodon living in these subtropical environments than they would likely end up competing for food and kill off all or most of their prey in a relatively short time since large animals such as whales, In addition to leaving evidence of partially consumed carcasses the megalodon would have also left skeletal bones and teeth of its own that could be identified and observed by researchers who study the meglaodon’s history extensively.At this point the only “confirmed” fossil records that have been observed from these large predatory animals is there prehistoric teeth and some backbone from an estimated 1.5 million years ago.Another factor that would have to be considered is that these large sharks would have to deal with the changing climates and varying seasons.The formation of large ice caps, atmospheric changes and various biodiversity differences in ocean habitat over the last several million years means that the megalodon’s habitat and range would have been significantly reduced and altered.Seeing as how the tend to prefer warm temperate climates the biodiversity and habitat changes that have occurred over the last 1.5 millions years (or longer) would further limit where these large predators can live and what types of food sources are available to them.If this large shark relied on the warmer waters to survive than it would likely be struggling today and assuming they had a lifespan of 20 – 40 years they would have to reproduce on a fairly consistent basis in order to maintain their existence, which means there would have to be numerous megalodons inhibiting the worlds oceans today.If they do not reproduce at least once every 40 years the entire species can be eliminated in one generation.Another point that can be brought up regarding their warm habitat preference is the fact that water cools the deeper you dive which means that its quite likely these sharks would have a limited diving range in order to prevent them from getting too cold.This suggests that the megalodon would have to remain at depths where humans would likely be able to observe and identify this species.Given its large size it would be quite difficult for the megalodon to hide its presence for over 1 million years.Lastly, the megalodon’s diet of whales and other marine mammals would be seriously challenged during When you look at the amount of water that exists on our earth it quickly becomes apparent just how vast the ocean is and how much of it remains to be explored.In fact based on the volume of water here on earth various estimates about how much of the ocean we’ve actually seen have been made with researchers stating that only 5% – 10% of the ocean has actually been discovered.Given these facts we can carefully assume that have just touched the iceberg of the kind of mysterious the ocean holds.In recent years there have been a few interesting findings regarding oceanic animals and sharks in particular.These findings neither confirm nor deny the possible existence of the megalodon in today’s era as we’ve stated several strong reasons for the sharks extinction, however the information is still fascinated and perhaps a reason why so many people are still enamored by the idea of the megalodon’s existence.The coelacanth is a prehistoric species of fish that was thought to have gone extinct millions of years ago until it was discovered off the coast of South Africa in 1936 and brought to the world’s attention by Marjorie Courenay-Latimer, A South African museum official.This was followed later by a first capture of a live coelacanth in 1998 in Indonesia.Prior to this the only known fossil records of these extremely rare fish were from prehistoric bones dating back hundreds of millions of years.The fact that these fish remained unidentified since the beginning of humanity has left some to question the existence of other un-rediscovered prehistoric species such as the megalodon.While this may be considered evidence of the possible current “hidden” existence of the megalodon shark it is important to point out a couple of facts.First the megalodon is a massive shark that would have likely left evidence of its existence either from the carcasses of the food it consumed or because of its large size, which would have left more recent fossil evidence from bones and teeth.Second from everything that is known about the megalodon it appears that they preferred warmer climates and did not dive extensively deep for their food, so it is likely that they (or more recent fossils) would have been observed by ocean researchers many years ago.The megamouth shark is another recently discovered and rare species of shark.This deep water shark was discovered in 1976 off the coast of Kaneohe, Hawaii when it became trapped in a U.S. sea anchor.Since this discovery the megamouth shark has continued to remain fairly elusive with observations of the shark being extremely rare.In fact only a few live videos of the shark have ever been recorded as well as a number of infrequent sightings.little is known about the ancestral history or behavior of the shark, but it is known that this species is a filter feeder and can reach lengths of up to 16 ft. or more suggesting that it is possible for fairly large ocean animals to remain hidden despite our current technology and understanding of the ocean.When you think about it even with our most advanced technology we have been unable to reach depths that come anywhere close to the bottom of the deepest oceans, so our understanding of what lies beneath our feet barely known.While discoveries of these and other ocean animals proves little to nothing about the possible “current” existence of the megalodon it provides a reminder of just how little we actually know and understand about the earths ocean and the animals contained within it.From what we’ve gathered on the megalodon we have been able to come up with some likely megalodon facts or at least highly educated hypothesis regarding the features and behavior of this apex predator.Some of the most relevant facts about the megalodon include:1) At lengths of 45- 60 ft. long the megalodon is considered the largest known shark to have ever inhibited the earth with the 40 ft. whale shark being known as the largest living shark today.2) It has also been estimated that the megalodon measured 1 ton of weight for every foot it measured in length suggesting that this beast may have weighed 40 – 60 tons or more when fully grown.3) The megalodon had massively sharp serrated teeth that have been measured at lengths of over 7 inches long making it one of the fiercest animals known to mankind.4) Observations of the megalodon’s teeth and matching scars found on the prehistoric bones of whales have confirmed this shark to be a carnivorous predator that hunted whales as part of its diet.5) While the megalodon was an apex predator it was not impervious to being attacked itself.
Estimates suggest that newborn megalodons may have been at least 6.6 feet (2 meters) in length. The species appears to have used nurseries for its young. The species was so widely spread that megalodon teeth have been found on every continent except Antarctica.
Unlike today’s sharks the megaldon’s large size and power made it the apex predator of its time and allowed it to hunt pretty much anything and everything it wanted to in the ocean. According to the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory, sharks have lived in the waters for over 400 million years.
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