US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Before megalodon, researchers say a monstrous shark ruled ancient Australian seas
Giant lamniform sharks were already dominant mega-predators 115 million years ago, 15 million years earlier than previously known, researchers say.
- Researchers identified huge vertebrae found on a beach near Darwin as the earliest known mega-predator of the modern shark lineage prowling Northern Australia during the Cretaceous period.
- Because shark skeletons are cartilaginous and often lost to time, vertebrae provide rare, direct evidence and size clues that help reassess when lamniforms became apex predators.
- Using museum-held specimens, researchers combined measurements of five vertebrae 12 centimeters across with fisheries data, CT scans and mathematical models to reconstruct the predator’s size and shape.
- The study suggests modern sharks reached apex roles early, and authors say the discovery enables targeted searches of fossil-rich seafloor environments worldwide.
- In broader terms, the work informs methods used to estimate extinct giants, linking analyses to megalodon size estimates around 56 feet, while studying ancient ecosystems could reveal species' responses to environmental change, Benjamin Kear of the Swedish Museum of Natural History said.
Insights by Ground AI
19 Articles
19 Articles
Associated Press News+18 Reposted by 18 other sources
Before megalodon, researchers say a monstrous shark ruled ancient Australian seas
Researchers have dated vertebrae from a massive prehistoric shark thought to have ruled the waves off northern Australia back to further in the Cretaceous period than was previously known.
·United States
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Left
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources lean Left
53% Left
L 53%
C 40%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
