Megalodon sharks can eat killer whales
High energy needs can be met through eating high-calorie whale fat.
According to the model, digesting an 8-meter whale can help megalodon sharks swim thousands of kilometers across the ocean without feeding for two months.
The complete model can now serve as a basis for further reconstruction and research.
The findings help experts better understand the function of large animals in marine ecosystems and the large-scale consequences of their extinction.
New 3D models of megalodon sharks reveal they can eat prey 8 meters long like modern killer whales.
The reconstructed megalodon shark (Otodus megalodon) is 16 m long and weighs more than 61 tons.
It is estimated that the animal swam at a speed of 1.4 m/s, required more than 98,000 calories per day and had a stomach volume of nearly 10,000 L.
This result showed that the megalodon could swim long distances and eat prey up to 8 m long, equivalent to the size of modern killer whales, the leading predator in the sea today.
