The study, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica , is led by Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University in Chicago and includes the participation of Danish researchers. The vertebra, measuring 23 centimeters in diameter, is the largest ever recorded in a fish , living or fossilized. Based on this finding, scientists have estimated that the specimen could have reached a length of approximately 24,3 meters and a weight of nearly 94 tons, placing it among the largest marine predators of all time.
A fossil lost for decades
The story of this discovery is almost like something out of a movie. In the late 70s, an excavation in the Gram Formation in southern Denmark unearthed about twenty vertebrae belonging to a single megalodon specimen. Among them was an exceptional piece, larger than any other known. The material was stored in the Geological Museum of Copenhagen, but in 1989, during a transfer between warehouses, the box containing the fossils was completely lost . For years, researchers could only consult old photographs.
It wasn't until 2010, almost by chance, that a museum curator, Bent Erik Kramer Lindow, found a box of scattered remains. Upon examining them, he realized they were fragments of those missing vertebrae. Although damaged, they retained enough information to be analyzed. The rediscovery was a real joy for the scientific community , as it allowed for the verification of measurements that until then had only existed in the literature.
Confirmation of the gigantic size
Shimada's team examined the vertebra using micro-computed tomography techniques and confirmed that its diameter reached 23 centimeters, exactly the figure that had been described before the fossil disappeared. This measurement is key to supporting the most ambitious estimates of the megalodon's size , since shark skeletons are cartilaginous and rarely fossilize, except for teeth. Therefore, vertebrae are a crucial source of information.
By comparing its vertebral diameter to that of modern sharks and other fossils, researchers calculated that the Danish specimen measured approximately 24,3 meters in length. Although growth models suggest the megalodon could have been slightly larger, 24,3 meters represents the most scientifically sound estimate to date . Furthermore, its estimated weight of 94 tons makes it a true colossus of the oceans.
New data on its biology
The analysis of the vertebrae not only served to measure the animal's age. Using micro-CT, scientists identified at least 64 growth bands, similar to tree rings, indicating that the megalodon was at least 64 years old when it died . This longevity aligns with the biology of modern marine sharks, which also live for several decades.
But there's more. In the same sediments where the vertebrae appeared, researchers found small scales and gill fragments belonging to a fossil basking shark. Everything suggests that these remains were the stomach contents of the megalodon, providing the first direct fossil evidence of its diet . The megalodon not only hunted large prey but also fed on other large sharks, such as the basking shark.
This discovery reinforces the idea that the megalodon was an opportunistic and dominant predator, capable of adapting its diet to whatever it found. The rediscovered vertebrae not only confirm its enormous size but also provide valuable clues about how this giant of the prehistoric seas lived and what it ate . Undoubtedly, this is another step toward understanding one of the most fascinating animals that ever existed.
