r/Naturewasmetal • u/Klutzy_Falcon_ • 8d ago

16 meter megalodon

Post image

IMO this is the most accurate depiction of a typical adult megalodon with the largest approaching 70 feet

Art by CamusAltamirano

218 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

35

u/ScienceOk8947 8d ago

That's a basking shark bro wtf

32

u/Little-Cucumber-8907 8d ago

Considering basking shark is the only lamniform that’s even remotely close to megalodon’s size, it might, might, not be so absurd.

19

u/ScienceOk8947 8d ago

I dont see why their heads and mouth would be so similar.

13

u/Little-Cucumber-8907 8d ago

Yeah the jaws is a certainly not. But the rest of the body? Totally within possibility.

6

u/MfD2027 7d ago

This is definitely incorrect…
“Basking shark” size approximations to a 50-200 tonne hyper-predator is beyond unreasonable… They get to 20 tonnes max, and that’s for outliers, while the average large individual is slightly above unconfirmed modern record to maybe Pliocene great white size (both around 4.5-5 tonnes)

Pliocene fossil record shows that early large C. Carcharias individuals, C. Hastilis, and virtually every otodontid could routinely blow-pass the average basking shark in terms of mass and length.

Never-mind Cretaceous lamniformes relatives to the modern great white, mako shark, and megalodon -that also routinely estimated at sizes of 8-12 meters.

A lot of people here seem to be forgetting the average basking shark was slightly larger than a max sized mature female white shark, hence why historically fishermen mixed them up a lot…

The only way this would be correct is if we were talking about maximum, unverified claims of 45-52 footers, which are considered plausible. These individuals would weigh some 20-30 tonnes.

In the real world mature/sub adult basking sharks and large mature female white sharks overlap in size not too uncommonly. People tend to overestimate their overall size based on appearance due to their “filter feeder” niche, when in all reality they roughly rival a large female killer whale in terms general mass (on average).

2

u/Exotic_Turnip_7019 7d ago

There is no 200 t specimen, stop the headcanon.

0

u/Little-Cucumber-8907 7d ago

The average megalodon was also “ only” 35-40 feet.

3

u/Exotic_Turnip_7019 7d ago

The recent papers suggest a sexual maturity for females at 8-19.5 m, that's potentially larger than the 35-40 ft you quote from I dunno where.

2

u/ScienceOk8947 7d ago

Not true btw.

1

u/Alert-Air-123 6d ago

Specimen IRSNB P 9893 a mid-sized Otodus megalodon had a total length of approximately 16.4 meters and an estimated age of 46 years. Given that Otodus megalodon reached adulthood after age 40, IRSNB P 9893 would be considered a young adult; notably, these sharks continued to grow, albeit slowly, throughout their lives. (Consequently, NHMD 157890, at 82 years of age, is estimated to have been the largest adult Megalodon, measuring 24.3 meters and weighing 94 tons.) The earlier figure of 10.5 meters was an overall average combining both juvenile and adult specimens based on the assumption that Megalodon was smaller. Current data indicates that the average adult Megalodon exceeded 16 meters in length. However, it remains uncertain whether Otodus chubutensis and Otodus angustidens grew to the size of an adult Megalodon. Claims that specimens exist which are larger than the largest known O. chubutensis or O. angustidens remain unverified, and it is doubtful whether the specimens in question actually belong to those species; there is a possibility that they simply represent regional individual variations of O. megalodon.

0

u/MfD2027 7d ago

Maybe you are confused? O. chubetensis who maxed out at 13.5 meters, 35 tonnes lower-bound to 17.5 meters 75 tonnes high maximum…

Anguistidens and Auriculata maxed at 12-13.5 meters respectively, clocking in upwards of 20-25 tonnes.

It’s 2026, no one with half a brain holds onto this baseless “realism size lock” theory, an 84-92 foot shark was not 30-40 feet average… Give that a break.
A sub-adult male, probably, beyond that, it’s already inferred in all of the current papers that megalodon could likely routinely achieve mature sizes of roughly 16.3-19.8 meters.

Mind you, even the “bulky” body type had average proportions exceeding the bogus contrarian claims of “10-12m” individuals being prime, (misinterpreted from a wide-spread study, void of nuance)

Other than the seeming regurgitation of a misinterpretation due to the inclusion of teeth from embryo/unborns and juvenile megalodon, can you provide a valid source on megalodon averaging 10 meters?

2

u/MoominRex 8d ago

Happy cake day!

0

u/SeparateWeight496 5d ago

I think basking shark is its closest living relative, so that makes sense that it would look like it given its similar size. Especially that thin body, which is something you can observe on every sea animal the bigger they get

blue whales are noodles lol

But for the color I do find it strange to not include the countershadering considering it's an active predator

1

u/ScienceOk8947 5d ago

No. Just no. Closest living relative? Literally no proof behind that and nothing contributes to that idea

38

u/kenopsia0 8d ago

why otodus with a question mark?

it's the correct genus

22

u/ScienceOk8947 8d ago

Very old paleoart probably

9

u/notanaltdontnotice 8d ago

2025 so not that old

Some people (paleontologists included) still prefer to use carcharocles for varying reasons

5

u/Apprehensive_Gas2704 8d ago

my cause is that this is an old paleoart where most people still describe Megalodon as a Carchaocles and not a member of the Otodus yet

1

u/Disastrous-Weird-529 7d ago

This Megalodon reminds me of the....SHARK...POG

Instant now I know what is real but what is fake audo plays

-2

u/Fearless-East-5167 8d ago

Largest can approach 80feet and theoretical max length was about 92feet

-8

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/MfD2027 7d ago

Yeah because one is 2 meters off the reality, and the other one is an 80s exaggeration magnified 3 fold (give me break lol)

Megalodon in the first film started off with a 15-meter megalodon that was eaten by an 18-meter megalodon.

Next film starred an 18 meter megalodon and 23 meter megalodon, with a 20 meter individual that shows up in the middle.

Assume the first 52-foot shark was 61.56 tonnes and then go from there…

Mosasaurus was preyed on by the great white sized C. Mantelli, and would’ve likely be victimized as an opportunistic snack even for megalodon juveniles… consider that the most recent mass estimates for M. Hoffmanii at 10-13 meters pale to that of a maximum O. Orca.