A bold new study claims we've had the megalodon all wrong.
According to the study, the prehistoric predator Otodus megalodon may have been more of a long and slender shark than the chunky beast we imagine today.
Nose to tail, the megalodon is generally thought to have been 15-20m (50-65ft) long.
It dominated Earth's seas between 15 to 3.6 million years ago, but very little evidence of it exists in the fossil record - with only teeth and vertebrae available rather than any complete skeletons.
This story is from the February 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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This story is from the February 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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