Isotope analysis shows ancient megalodon was a warm-blooded fish

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Megalodon sharks were warm-blooded animals. Reported by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Megalodons are extinct giant sharks that reached a length of 15 meters. Their weight can exceed 35 tons, making them one of the largest aquatic predators in world history. Megalodons went extinct about 3 million years ago.

Robert Eagle and colleagues analyzed The isotopic composition of the tooth enamel of these sharks. Using statistical modeling to estimate the temperature of the seawater in each of the five regions where teeth were collected, the scientists found that teeth formed at roughly the same temperature. This means that the fish can control its body temperature and try to keep it about 7 degrees warmer than the environment. This temperature difference is greater than that of other sharks and is large enough to classify megalodons as warm-blooded.

A warmer body allowed megalodons to move faster, carry cooler water, and live in cold regions. But because warming requires additional energy, it is precisely this evolutionary advantage that may have contributed to the extinction of the species. Unlike true warm-blooded animals such as mammals, sharks are mesothermic animals and only store the heat produced by their muscles.

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