恐龍卡第 1154 張，共 2 027 張

Megalodon

名字的意思： “big tooth”1

吃：肉史前傳奇新生代，哺乳動物時代不是恐龍，而是史前傳奇

Megalodon was a giant shark that lived millions of years ago. It had teeth as big as a human hand and could eat whales! It was one of the biggest and scariest ocean hunters ever.1

這隻不是恐龍，但牠是史前時代最有名的動物之一，所以在 Dino Wiki 也有一席之地。

生存年代

23 到 3.6 百萬年前1

新生代，哺乳動物時代

化石發現地

Fossils have been found all over the world, including in the United States, Japan, Panama, Venezuela, Peru, and France.6

長度

15 到 24.3 m (49 到 80 ft)2

體重

最多 94 公噸 (207,200 lb)2

最高速度

時速約 18 公里（11 英里）

游泳: shark swim speed study 2015 (cruising 18 km/h)

牠生活在什麼時候？

恐龍出現之前

恐龍時代

哺乳動物時代

4 億年前25266現在

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 16 頭大象一樣重

跟 5 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 140 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 19000 顆西瓜一樣重跟 120 整班小學生一樣重能在 10 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Megalodon 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Megalodon 時速約 18 公里 (11 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Megalodon teeth can be up to 16 centimetres tall, and some might have been even 20 centimetres. That is bigger than a human hand!2

Megalodon probably gave birth to live young, and baby megalodons were already about 3.6 to 3.9 metres long at birth.2

Megalodon had a huge appetite. It ate dolphins, small whales, seals, sea turtles, and even other sharks.1

Megalodon used nursery areas in warm, shallow coastal waters to raise its young, where there was lots of food and fewer predators.1

Megalodon was once thought to be a close relative of the great white shark, but scientists now think it belonged to a different, extinct family called Otodontidae.1

Megalodon probably swam at a cruising speed of about 2.1 to 3.5 kilometres per hour, which is a slow, steady pace for such a big shark.2

Megalodon 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Megalodon 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Megalodon 最常被問的問題

?How big was megalodon?

Scientists estimate megalodon grew up to 15 to 18 metres (49 to 59 feet) long, which is about three times longer than the largest great white shark.3 1

?When did megalodon go extinct?

Megalodon went extinct about 3.6 million years ago, at the end of the Pliocene epoch. The planet cooled, which reduced its habitat and food supply.3 1

?What did megalodon eat?

Megalodon ate meat, mostly whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, and other sharks. It was an apex predator that could bite through the chest of a whale.3 4

?Could megalodon still be alive today?

No, megalodon is extinct and has been for millions of years. The ocean is too cold now, and there is no evidence of a living megalodon.3 1

?How big were megalodon teeth?

Megalodon teeth can be up to 18 centimetres (7 inches) tall, which is bigger than a human hand. The word megalodon means 'big tooth'.3 5

?Was megalodon bigger than a blue whale?

No, the largest blue whale is about 30 metres long, while megalodon was up to 24.3 metres. So blue whales are bigger.3

?Is megalodon a dinosaur?

No, megalodon is not a dinosaur. It was a giant prehistoric shark that lived in the ocean, long after the dinosaurs died out.1

?How fast could megalodon swim?

Up to about 18 km/h (11 mph) by one study, about as fast as a grown-up riding a bike. Most of the time it cruised much slower, about 2 to 5 km/h (1 to 3 mph), to save energy. It may have sped up in short bursts to catch prey.3

?Where did megalodon live?

Megalodon lived in warm oceans all over the world, except near the poles. Its teeth have been found on every continent except Antarctica.3 5

?How strong was megalodon's bite?

Megalodon had one of the strongest bites ever, with a force of up to 182,200 newtons (40,960 pounds). That is powerful enough to crush a whale's bones.1 5

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think megalodon is still alive today in the deep ocean.

真相： Megalodon went extinct about 3.58 million years ago. Scientists have found no evidence that it lives today.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Otodus megalodon
命名者: (Agassiz 1835)6
類群: 史前傳奇
科 / 演化支: Otodontidae6
分類: Chondrichthyes > Lamniformes > Otodontidae6
岩石的年代: 66 到 0.3 百萬年 (Danian / Chibanian)6
岩層: Pisco, Temblor, Calvert6
國家: 美國, 日本, 巴拿馬, 委內瑞拉, 秘魯, 法國6
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 350 筆6
發現: Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz named megalodon in 1835. He studied fossil teeth and gave it the scientific name Carcharias megalodon, which means 'big tooth'.1
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate the exact size and body shape of megalodon. Some think it was long and slender, while others think it was bulkier like a great white shark.2