For context, the world's largest living shark, the whale shark ( Rhincodon typus), normally grows to a maximum length of around 33 feet (10 m) and great white sharks max out at around 16 feet (5 m) long. The 3D model revealed that the megalodon was likely around 52 feet (16 meters) long. The scientists then combined these data to create a digitally reconstructed 3D megalodon that researchers could use to peer into the secret lives of the giant beast. The team then used body scans of a great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias) to fill in the gaps and estimate the amount of soft tissue that would have surrounded megalodon's bones.
to create a rough blueprint of the megalodon's skeleton. In the new study, researchers combined measurements from an exceptionally well-preserved vertebral column uncovered in Belgium and a set of teeth found in the U.S. As a result, scientists actually know very little about this apex predator. Like modern sharks, megalodon had a cartilaginous skeleton, which does not easily fossilize, so most of what we know about the ancient leviathan comes from its fossilized teeth, which are around 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, and a few well-preserved vertebrae. It first emerged around 23 million years ago and went extinct about 2.6 million years ago, likely due to the emergence of great white sharks. The megalodon ( Otodus megalodon) was the largest shark to ever swim through Earth's oceans.
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