The extinct shark Otodus megalodon was a transoceanic super-predator: Inferences from 3D modelling

Although shark teeth are abundant in the fossil record, their bodies are rarely preserved. Thus, our understanding of the anatomy of the extinct Otodus megalodon remains rudimentary. We used an exceptionally preserved fossil to create the first 3D model of the body of this giant shark and used it to infer its movement and feeding ecology. We estimate that an adult O. megalodon could cruise at faster absolute speeds than any shark species today, and fully consume prey the size of modern apex predators (e.g., the killer whale). A dietary preference for large prey potentially enabled O. megalodon to minimize competition and provided a constant source of energy to fuel prolonged migrations without further feeding. When taken together, our results suggest that O. megalodon played a singular ecological role as a transoceanic super-predator. As such, its extinction likely had large impacts on global nutrient transfer and trophic food webs.

尽管鲨鱼牙齿在化石记录中大量留存，但其躯体却极少得以完整保存。因此，我们对于已灭绝的巨齿鲨（Otodus megalodon）的解剖学认知仍较为粗浅。我们借助一件保存状态极佳的化石，构建了这一巨型鲨鱼的首个躯体三维模型，并以此推断其运动与摄食生态。我们估算，成年巨齿鲨的绝对巡航速度可超越现今所有鲨鱼物种，且能够完整捕食体型相当于现代顶级捕食者（例如虎鲸）的猎物。对大型猎物的饮食偏好，或许让巨齿鲨得以最大限度降低竞争，并为长距离迁徙提供持续的能量来源，无需中途额外进食。综合来看，我们的研究结果表明，巨齿鲨作为跨洋超级捕食者，占据了独一无二的生态位。正因如此，它的灭绝很可能对全球营养物质传递与营养级食物网造成了重大影响。