The largest shark to ever live was the Megalodon (scientific name Otodus megalodon). Megalodon means “big tooth,” and this shark certainly had enormous teeth. Between 20 and 4 million years ago, it prowled the world’s oceans.
The Megalodon could reach a length of up to 18 meters, nearly three times the size of the largest great white shark alive today. It weighed approximately 60,000 kilograms, about the same as a Boeing 737.
The Megalodon had a voracious appetite for meat, likely consuming over 1,100 kilograms per day, equivalent to the weight of two fully grown cows. It primarily preyed on large fish and likely hunted whales and even other, smaller sharks. Bones from these animals have been found with bite marks attributed to the Megalodon.
To hunt whales and dolphins effectively, the Megalodon had to open its jaws wide. A life-size reconstruction of the head of a Megalodon shows that this shark could easily swallow two adult humans in one bite. The Megalodon’s bite force was likely two to three times stronger than that of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex.