Title: The extinct shark Otodus megalodon was a transoceanic super-predator: inferences from 1 3D modelling 2 Short title: Megalodon ecological inferences from new 3D model 3 4

Cooper, Jack A; Hutchinson, John R; Bernvi, David C; Cliff, Geremy; Wilson, Rory P; Dicken, Matt L; Menzel, Jan; Wroe, Stephen; Pirlo, Jeanette; Pimiento, Catalina

Abstract

23 Although shark teeth are abundant in the fossil record, their bodies are rarely preserved. Thus, 24 our understanding of the anatomy of the extinct Otodus megalodon remains rudimentary. We 25 used an exceptionally preserved fossil to create the first 3D model of the body of this giant 26 shark and used it to infer its movement and feeding ecology. We estimate that an adult O. 27 megalodon could cruise at faster absolute speeds than any shark species today, and fully 28 consume prey the size of modern apex predators (e.g., the killer whale). A dietary preference 29 for large prey potentially enabled O. megalodon to minimize competition and provided a 30 constant source of energy to fuel prolonged migrations without further feeding. When taken 31 together, our results suggest that O. megalodon played a singular ecological role as a 32 transoceanic super-predator. As such, its extinction likely had large impacts on global nutrient 33 transfer and trophic food webs. 34 Teaser: O. megalodon 3D model suggests unprecedented swimming and prey intake abilities, 35 and potential global ecological impacts. 36

Citation

Cooper, J. A., Hutchinson, J. R., Bernvi, D. C., Cliff, G., Wilson, R. P., Dicken, M. L., …Pimiento, C. (2022). Title: The extinct shark Otodus megalodon was a transoceanic super-predator: inferences from 1 3D modelling 2 Short title: Megalodon ecological inferences from new 3D model 3 4. Science Advances, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 1, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Aug 17, 2022
• Publication Date: Aug 17, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 6, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 18, 2022
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424
• Publisher URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424