Megalodon tooth

The Megalodon shark (Otodus Megalodon) has gained popularity in recent years, partly due to documentaries and films. And that is not surprising: it is a gigantic shark that can grow up to 20 metres long and weigh up to 60,000 kilos! The Megalodon is one of the largest predators (fish) that ever lived. The teeth of the Megalodon are practically the only fossils that have been found of this magnificent species, and those teeth speak volumes.

The meaning of "Megalodon

Megalodon' has a short but very clear meaning: 'Big Teeth'. The oldest teeth ever found date back 20 million years. The largest Megalodon tooth ever found was no less than 19 centimetres in size. Because no complete fossilised bones have been found apart from the teeth, this species was given the name 'Megalodon', which also means: 'Big Teeth'.

World's largest shark

The Megalodon (Otodus Megalodon, first known as Carcharodon or Carcharocles Megalodon) was with its 20 metres and 60 tonnes (60,000 kilos) not only the biggest shark that ever existed, but also one of the biggest predators - even the Mosasaurus weighed less than the Otodus Megalodon. The Otodus Megalodon lived in the Miocene Epoch (23 million years ago) and was ruler of the sea until the end of the Pliocene Epoch (2.58 million years ago). The Megalodon lived in all parts of the world, especially in warmer waters. The Megalodon also lived in the Netherlands, which was almost completely under water at the time. Megalodon teeth are therefore - every now and then - found in the Netherlands and Belgium.

How many teeth did the Megalodon have?

To catch its prey, mostly whales, the Megalodon could open its mouth with a wingspan of 2.7 to 3.4 metres wide. By way of comparison, an average car is about 1.85 metres wide. The jaw of the Megalodon had 5 rows of Megalodon teeth, so the predator had no fewer than 276 teeth. If the front teeth were broken when catching prey, the Megalodon would replace them with other teeth from the rows behind. In this way, a Megalodon consumed hundreds to thousands of teeth in its lifetime. The largest teeth were in the front.

The bite force of the Megalodon is said to be one of the largest in the world. A great white shark has a bite force of 18,216 newtons, while a Megalodon has a bite force of 108,514 to 182,201 newtons.

What did the Megalodon eat?

Judging by the large Megalodon teeth, it could be immediately ascertained that the predator ate meat. Other large fish such as whales, large manatees, other large sharks and other large fish were on the menu of this giant predator.

The Otodus Megalon was so big that the predator had to eat a lot. It is estimated that the amount of food the shark needed was as much as 1000 kilos a day! Fossil whale bones have been found that showed signs of large bites, which corresponded to the teeth of a Megalodon.

What did the Megalodon look like?

In most reconstructions, the Otodus Megalodon looked like a giant white shark, but opinions are still divided on this. For example, the Otodus Megalodon probably had a shorter nose and long pectoral fins to support its weight and size.

Due to the reconstructions of the Otodus Megalodon, it was thought that the predatory fish was related to the white shark, but it is now known that the predatory fish came from an ancient family of shark species, with the O. Megalodon being the last relative. The oldest, definitive relative is a 55-million-year-old shark called: Otodus Obliquus - which could grow to 10 metres in length... not exactly small either. As more and more fossils were found, other conclusions were drawn. Some scientists think that the ancestors of the white shark competed with the O. Megalodon.

When did the Megalodon become extinct?

We know that the Megalodon became extinct at the end of the Pliocene (2.6 million years ago), but exactly when is not known. The oceans cooled, the sea level dropped and many large mammals, such as sea birds, dolphins and turtles, became extinct. It is estimated that 43% of large mammals became extinct.

The extinction of many large mammals led to a struggle for food among the large predators / killer whales. It is thought that the whale species that remained were too agile and/or too fast, so that the giant predators could not feed themselves enough. In addition, competing orcas, which were a lot faster and more agile, are also a probable reason for the extinction of the O. Megalodon.

Finally, the cooling of the sea caused the large predatory fish to have to migrate. This made it necessary for the large predatory fish to migrate, which was not exactly easy. It is thought that the places where young Megalodons were born and were safe from large fish were no longer habitable due to the cooling of the seas.

Where are Megalodon teeth found?

As described above, an O. Megalodon used hundreds to thousands of teeth in its life, which is why many Megalodon teeth are found. Megalodon teeth are found all over the world, even on beaches in the Netherlands. Most teeth are found in America, in dark rivers in California, South Carolina, North Carolina. But beautiful Megalodon teeth are also found on beaches in America, such as Florida and Venice. Finding the teeth in the dark rivers is not without risk, because it is very dark there and many of the rivers have Alligators in them.

In recent years, teeth have also been found in Indonesia, West Java. These teeth are mostly excavated by farmers who own land there.

The teeth you can order in our webshop are found in those dark rivers in South Carolina.

Different colours of Megalodon teeth

There are various colours of Megalodon teeth, such as yellow, brown, grey, blue, black, white or even light pink. The colours of Megalodon teeth depend on where the fossilisation process started. The minerals from the place where the tooth or teeth were located were slowly absorbed into the tooth. The colour of these minerals reflect the colour of the tooth.

Want to buy a Megalodon tooth?

After reading this nice text, are you interested in a beautiful, large Megalodon tooth that you can put in a cupboard or hang on the wall? We have various sizes and colours of Megalodon teeth on offer - something for everyone. Would you like some more advice? Then contact us via the contact form and we will be happy to help you!