Largest prehistoric basking sharks kept it cool

The megalodon: a huge prehistoric shark, was the happiest – or at least the biggest – in beautiful cold water.

The huge animal lived from 15 to 3.6 million years ago in various parts of the world and – unsurprisingly – starred in books and movies with its impressive appearance. Despite the fact that not much more than some fossils of teeth and vertebrae have not been found, people generally agree on its enormous size – about 15-20 meters.

In a new study, scientists have discovered a link between habitat and estimated body size. The largest specimens would have lived in the cooler areas, with which the megalodon, like many other animal species, follows Bergmann’s rule: large animals do well in cold areas, because they can retain heat more efficiently. .

The new theory is based on the location and size of the teeth found. It was already known that smaller animals were in the same area, only then it was thought that it was some kind of nursery where many young animals were provided.

The new theory could also help better predict how similar species will respond to warming oceans, the researchers say.

Read more: Colder waters created a large megalodon, latest study finds†