Megalodon
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Collections,
Shark Fossils,
Shark Dentitions,
Shark Tooth Identification,
Megalodon,
Lee Creek Parotodus
If the size of the teeth furnish an indication of the strength, size and ferocity of this species of shark, then it must have been one of the largest and most formidable animals of the ocean, combining, as Prof. Owen remarks, with the organization of the shark, its bold and insatiable character, they must have constituted the most terrific and irresistible of the predaceous monsters of the ancient deep. The largest of the teeth measure sometimes six inches in length, and from four to five wide at base. Ebenezer Emmons, 1858, p.223. Today, over 150 years later, C. megalodon still fascinates. This reverence has led to C. megalodon being designated the State Fossil of North Carolina by the General Assembly of North Carolina Session Law 2013-189, HB-830. Come visit the Aurora Fossil Museum to learn more about this amazing animal!  DentitionA typical C. megalodon dentition consists of a whopping 276 teeth! This is calculated as 46 front row teeth (24 upper and 22 lower) and the file comprising 6 files (rows behind the front row).
Ecology
At nearly 60 feet long (by some estimates) and weighing in at over 75 tons, C. megalodon was the terror of the seas for about 12 million years. This formidable beast roamed the ancient seas, first appearing in the Miocene and becoming extinct at the end of the Pliocene (2.6 million years ago). Its fossilized remains, mostly teeth but on occasion vertebrae, have been discovered in sediments worldwide establishing the species as cosmopolitan in nature. 
Scientists interpret C. megalodon's foraging habits as hunting and feeding on whales. This interpretation is due to the abundance of cetacean (whale) fossils, often with preserved feeding marks, typically found close to or in the immediate vicinity of C. megalodon remains. ClassificationAlthough C. megalodon is a lamnid shark and is therefore related to both modern-day makos and great whites, the actual classification of C. megalodon is the subject of ongoing debate. One side of the debate interprets C. megalodon's similarities with the modern Great White Shark as being derived through shared ancestry thus classifying C. megalodon in the family Lamnidae, and Carcharodon genus of the lineage of Cretolamna. The other interpretation suggests the similarities of C. megalodon and the modern Great White as a result of convergent evolution therefore classifying it within the Otodus lineage of Cretolamna and thus classified in the genus Carcharocles of the family Odontidae. To break this down: C. megalodon is either classified as an evolutionary product of direct evolution (Cretolamna, Lamnidae, Carcharodon) or as the result of convergent evolution (Cretolamna, Odontidae, Carcharocles) within the Cretolamna lineage. Text by C. Crane References •Carcharodon Vs Carcharocles: a Heated Debate. Biology Of Sharks And Rays. ReefQuest Center For Shark Research, n.d. Web. Spring 2014. •Dean, B, 1909. The Giant of Ancient Sharks. The American Museum Journal, v. IX, no.8, American Museum of Natural History. pp. 223-225. Accessed through Google Books (http://books.google.com/) •Emmons, E., 1858. Report of the North Carolina Geological Survey, Agriculture of the Eastern Counties: together with the Description of the Fossils of the Marl Beds. Holden & Wilson, Raleigh, North Carolina. 315 pp. •Fossil Sharks. Ichthyology At The Florida Museum Of Natural History. N.p., n.d. Web. Spring 2014. •Stenonis, N., 1667. Elementorum myologiae specimen, seu Musculi description geometrica, cui accedunt canis carchariae dissectum caput et dissectus piscis ex canum genere. Florence. 138 pp. Related Links• Shark Fossils• Stingray Fossils • Cetacean Fossils • Shark Dentitions • Shark Tooth Identification • Megalodon • Lee Creek Parotodus |
