Jason Statham’s 2018 movie may be a work of fiction, but there is a real-life monster behind The Meg: the 60-foot-long prehistoric sea creature known as the megalodon. The movie paints the shark-like monster as something that still lives in the ocean, but this apex predator likely died out millions and millions of years ago – or did it?
Fossils prove the megalodon was real, and in fact went extinct. But that doesn’t stop some believers from claiming the creature still swims the depths like a real-life Godzilla. These megalodon facts paint a formidable picture: It was larger than any creature now living, and it could destroy a Tyrannosaurus rex.
It Was Larger Than Any Currently Living Shark
The megalodon reached lengths of 60 feet during its time at the top of the prehistoric food chain. At an average of 23 feet long, the great white shark is roughly the same length as its ancestor’s male reproductive organ.
Whale and basking sharks are closer to the megalodon’s size, but still fall short at 46 and 33 feet long, respectively.
Its Jaws Could Crush Cars And Whales
Studies conducted by Stephen Wroe of the University of New South Wales in Australia found that the large jaws of the megalodon likely generated a maximum 4,000 pounds of bite force pressure. Its bite force was 10 times that of the great white shark, and even greater than that of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex. Theoretically, the prehistoric shark could use its jaws to smash a car like a junkyard crusher – although its approximately 7-inch long teeth would likely not survive.
Fossils of baleen whales living at the same time as the megalodon show bite marks from the fearsome creature – the real reason for the strong jaws.