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Megalodon. Otodus megalodon (/ ˈmɛɡələdɒn / MEG-əl-ə-don; meaning "big tooth"), commonly known as megalodon, is an extinct species of giant mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Early Pliocene epochs.
It exceeded 3 m (9.8 ft) in length, and would have weighed in at around 200 kg (440 lb), much larger than any other known mustelid, living or extinct. [154] [155] [156] There were other giant otters, like Siamogale, at around 50 kg (110 lb) [157] and Megalenhydris, which was larger than a modern-day giant river otter. [158]
Leedsichthys is an extinct genus of pachycormid fish that lived in the oceans of the Middle to Late Jurassic. [1] It is the largest ray-finned fish, and amongst the largest fish known to have ever existed. [2] The first remains of Leedsichthys were identified in the nineteenth century. Especially important were the finds by the British ...
Within the Otodus lineage; O. chubutensis is the succeeding species of O. angustidens and is followed by O. megalodon. [3] In short, O. chubutensis is considered a possible ancestor of O. megalodon. [3] [8] [9] However, due to its co-existence with O. megalodon during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, it is regarded as a morpho-species. [3]
The largest shark in the fossil record is the megalodon (Otodus megalodon), a colossal Neogene lamniform. The range of estimates of the maximum length for megalodon are from 17 to 20.3 m (56 to 67 ft), with a mass ranging from 65 to 114 short tons (59 to 103 t). [41] [42] [43] It is also regarded as the largest macro-predatory fish ever.
A new study finds that megatooth sharks’ warm-blood adaptation and giant size may have played a role in their extinction.
Like other known megatooth sharks, the fossils of O. angustidens indicate that it was considerably larger than the extant great white shark, with the largest individuals possibly measuring up to 11–12 metres (36–39 ft) long. [7] [8] A well preserved specimen from New Zealand is estimated at 9.3 m (31 ft) in length. [5]
Gigantopithecus (/ d ʒ aɪ ˌ ɡ æ n t oʊ p ɪ ˈ θ i k ə s, ˈ p ɪ θ ɪ k ə s, d ʒ ɪ-/ jy-gan-toh-pi-thee-kuhs, pith-i-kuhs, ji-; [2] lit. ' giant ape ') is an extinct genus of ape that lived in southern China from 2 million to approximately 300,000-200,000 years ago during the Early to Middle Pleistocene, represented by one species, Gigantopithecus blacki.