Ancient megalodon shark could eat a whale in a few bites, research suggests

Modern sharks don't have anything on their prehistoric cousins. Research shows that a giant shark could have devoured a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites.

Researchers used fossils to create a 3D model of the megalodon, which is one of the biggest predatory fish of all time.

According to the study in the journal Science Advances, the megalodon was larger than a bus. That is more than the size of the great white shark. It was possible for the megalodon to feed on other big creatures. The researchers suggest that it could roam the ocean for months at a time.

It was a strong swimmer, with an average cruising speed faster than sharks, and could have migrated across multiple oceans with ease.

The co-author of the book said that it would be a superpredator. There is no match.

It has been difficult for scientists to get a good picture of the megalodon.

A baby shark is swimming. Scientists say that newborn megalodons are bigger than humans.

Pimiento said that the skeleton is soft and doesn't fossils well. The scientists used a collection of bones from a Belgian museum that has been there for more than a century.

The researchers brought in a huge amount of megalodon teeth, each as big as a human fist. Scans of great white sharks were used to find the rest.

Researchers estimated that the megalodon would have weighed as much as 10 elephants. The creatures lived a long time ago.

Pimiento said that the megalodon could open its jaw to over 2 metres in width.

Michael Gottfried is a palaeontologist at Michigan State University who was not involved in the study. Based on what is known about the giant shark, the study is reasonable.