Scientists estimate that even the largest Megalodon grew only to 82 feet (25 meters), while an average blue whale grows to 90 feet (27 meters) and the largest blue whale grows to 100 feet (30 meters). Strauss, Bob. But Godfrey thinks a megalodon attack is the most plausible explanation. I would pick the orcas but not without some casualties. Terrifying megalodon attack on whale revealed in 15 million-year-old Megalodons were apex predators with powerful offensive capabilities, including large jaws, sharp teeth, and a strong sense of smell. And its twice as fast as a great white, with a maximum speed over 5 m/sec (16.5 mi/sec).The megalodons main weapon is its rows of enormous teeth. Animals Home All Animals Fish Sharks Megalodon vs Great White: Who Would Win in a Fight? Based on the size and spacing of the bite marks and serrations, the only possible culprits are the megatoothed shark O. chubutensis (which lived 28 million to 13 million years ago) and its descendant O. megalodon (which existed 20 million to 3.5 million years ago), the researchers found. Orcas only kill whales by drowning them. A newborn blue whale is anything but a baby in size it can weigh as much as 2.98 tons (2,980 kgs.) NY 10036. (Image credit: Artwork by Tim Scheirer; Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (2021); Different views of the ancient sperm whale tooth that show the three gouge marks from the megatoothed shark. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. These sharks were believed to hunt other smaller sharks, giant turtles, and marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. If they are inaccurate, well shit I guess the post should be deleted and I should be banned from the site. This movement enables the shark to quickly change direction at a moments notice. Other nearby female blue whales will help by nudging the newborn up to help it break the waters surface and breathe. Bob Strauss is a science writer and the author of several books, including "The Big Book of What, How and Why" and "A Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of North America.". Alternatively, they have a baleen sieve (plates of bone) lined with bristles through which small schools of fish and plankton are filtered. Megalodons offensive capabilities include jaws that exceed 6.5 feet in diameter, with 250 teeth of around 7 inches long each (How Big Is 7 Inches?). ", Related: Image gallery: Russia's beautiful killer whales, Image gallery: Mysterious lives of whale sharks. When discussing deep-sea monsters the Megalodon always seems to pop up in conversation, but what about the Bloop? The same can be said of a fight between a Megalodon and a Blue Whale. It would circle its prey at a distance, sizing up this formidable foe. If the famed Megalodon still existed today, how would it fare with the Blue Whale? So, they changed the name to the Hebrew spelling. About 15 million years ago in a warm coastal sea covering what is now southern Maryland, the ocean surface suddenly erupted in a violent upheaval as a shark the size of a five-story building the mighty and massive megalodon (Otodus megalodon) launched itself at a whale near the surface, clamping its 250 serrated teeth around the whale's midsection. There would be little flesh in return for the effort," he continued. This is often seen when a group of killer whales hunts a fast-moving dolphin. (Image credit: Image courtesy of the Calvert Marine Museum). At least one species of prehistoric whale was known to combat the Megalodon when attacked or threatened. Aside from having feelings and showing affection, blue whales have very big hearts, which can weigh as much as a mid-sized car. 57-Foot Leviathan Sea Monster Might Have Had Close Encounters With Killer whales, apex predators in today's oceans, are known to eat the meaty tongues and blubbery throats of other whales. We take a look at Megalodon vs Orca who will win? When a blue whale is on the offensive, its behavior mainly consists of tail thrashing. The megalodon shark is a massive oceanicanimal that existedat least 28million years ago until it became extinct around 1.5 million years ago. As dangerous as Megalodon's teeth wereabout seven inches long fully grownthey were no match for the even bigger, foot-long choppers of Leviathan. The killer whale is quite clever in how it can wear out faster marine mammals to the point where they cannot escape or fight back. Discovered in Peru in 2008, the 10-foot-long skull of Leviathan testifies to a truly enormous prehistoric whale that plied the coasts of South America about 12 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. Regarding why the Megalodon no longer exists, it is believed that these massive sharks became extinct due to shortages in their food supply. To reach the older phosphate-rich beds, mine workers removed bucketloads of overlying sedimentary rock and dumped them nearby, where fossil collectors could scour them, Godfrey said. This beast comes in at over 18 m (60 ft) long, three times the size of the largest great white Shark. It is believed that this beast had an acute smell, impressive vision (especially in low light scenarios), and strong hearing. And then there's the megalodon tooth, found alongside the vertebrae. Due to its enormous bite force, the megalodon is a very effective killer. This happened towards the end of the Pliocene epoch when the global climate cooled prior to the Ice Age (Pleistocene era). Bite Force, Teeth, and Jaw Size Megalodon, the prehistoric shark, eating a blue whale. Three gouge marks on the tooth show that whatever took a bite out of it had evenly spaced, serrated teeth. Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter. If you clicked on the link I attached, youd see the estimates im using here. Its short bursts of 20mph speeds might not be enough. 4,500-year-old 'Stonehenge' sanctuary discovered in the Netherlands, Earth's thermosphere reaches highest temperature in 20 years after being bombarded by solar storms, The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with checkout code 'LOVE5', Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Leviathan! "These marine waters teemed with abundant sea life.". Although a blue whale has a larger mouth at 20 feet, it does not have true teeth and it has a small throat of only 4 to 8 inches. Some haven't even heard of this large under. Its favorite pastime is sinking ships by creating giant whirlpools. While that can in many ways be advantageous, water is tough to move quickly through, and the smaller Megalodon size profile may aid in faster more agile attacks and defensive movements. Euclid space telescope launches this week. And what if, despite its best efforts at the outset of battle, it didn't succeed in quickly shearing off its adversary's fins? During a high-energy breach with prey between its jaws, he explained, the megalodon could have easily flexed the whale's backbone against gravity with enough force to create the observed injuries. For the sake of consistency, lets assume a pod consists of 4 males and 4 females. They feed exclusively on tiny, shrimplike animals called krill. Due to their huge size, blue whales rarely have natural predators, except for large packs of orcas or killer whales which prey on juvenile blue whales. Related: Photos: These animals used to be giants, The single tooth is all that's left of the ancient sperm whale. The researchers who discovered Livyatan first named it Leviathan, but then realized that name had already been used to describe another animal. "Up until now, bite traces by these giant sharks (with a body length of megalodon over 60 feet [18 m] long) have been found on other bones of extinct whales and dolphins, but never on the head or other bones of a sperm whale. Megalodons are apex predators. New York, Why? A CT scan shows damage to the vertebra and bone growth that took place after the injury. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. "Our paper covers the breadth and scope of the conditions that could have caused this kind of damage, and hopefully that will spur further research," he said. Blue whales are heavier than Megalodons, too. Aspartame to be declared 'possible carcinogen' by WHO. For one thing, there's the sheer magnitude of the trauma one vertebra actually telescoped inward from the force of the other vertebra smashing into it. After the dinosaurs went extinct, 65 million years ago, the biggest animals on earth were confined to the world's oceansas witness the 50-foot-long, 50-ton prehistoric sperm whaleLeviathan(also known as Livyatan) and the 50-foot-long, 50-tonMegalodon, by far the biggest shark that ever lived. At lengths of up to 60 ft. long, the Megalodon would be twice as large as the killer whale (one of the only cetaceans known to hunt and kill sharks and other marine mammals). Scientists estimate that Megalodons averaged only 50 tons, even if they were bigger than whale sharks and several other shark species. So, it also grows fast, gaining around 90 kgs. From research and evidence collected on this species, it appears that these sharks were known for hunting a variety of Cetacea and were considered the apex predators of their time. As for agility, the Megalodon moves via undulating side to side motions, engaging the tail for propulsion. Millions of years ago giant sea creatures swam the world's oceans. These two coexisted for nearly 9 million . Megalodon vs. Blue Whale: Who Would Win? - What Size Is It Their meat is used for pet food, or even served to tourists as a traditional dish.. "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." Marks from the attack, preserved as gouges out of the sperm whale's tooth, are the first evidence in the fossil record that megatoothed sharks tussled with sperm whales, the researchers said. The megatoothed shark's serrated teeth left gouge marks. The Megalodon shark is certainly more agile and faster over long periods of time. Megalodon vs. Leviathan - Who Wins? - ThoughtCo Senses are vitally important in any animal fight, giving each creature situational awareness, and visual, auditory, physical, and other inputs needed to react defensively or offensively. "This is how we see the story unfolding," Godfrey told Live Science. Iceland and Norway officially objected to the IWC moratorium. 1. When it comes to ocean-bound apex predators, two of the most impressive to date are the mighty Megalodon and the massive Blue Whale. Let's get started! The largest documented cow Orca was 28 feet long and weighed 8.3 tons, the largest bull 32 feet and 11 tons. As with the squalodon, the killer whale hunts with its pod and uses echolocation. Since these aquatic animals belong to the shark species, they obtain oxygen through their gills. The scans showed a textbook compression fracture a type of break in which vertebrae crumble and collapse that was so distinctive in its pattern as to be instantly recognizable. Lone humpbacks manage to defend itself against a large numbers of killer whales (at least 15). This is the equivalent of two and a half buses in length and 10 of the heaviest buses together in weight. Megalodon Stats: Estimates for maximum length: about 60-70 feet long Adults probably averaged 50-60 feet long Adults weighed roughly 60-70 tons. Millions of years ago, an ancient sperm whale had a very, very bad day when a megatoothed shark possibly the fearsome Otodus megalodon or its ancestor Otodus chubutensis, the largest predatory sharks that ever lived viciously attacked it in what is now North Carolina, a new study suggests. Its bite force is 3x stronger than a T. Rexs. Who Wins on Size? As the struggling pair broke the surface in a bloody breach, the force of the attack bent the whale's back and caused a violent compression fracture. These giant sharks hunted other smaller sharks, fish, dugongs, sea turtles, and large whales as part of their primary/main diet, and it is believed that when food became scarce, they may have even hunted each other or other young megalodon sharks that were less protected and easier to capture. Unfortunately (or fortunately) well never truly know for sure which of these Apex ocean-dwellers would win. That's the scenario proposed by scientists who recently examined two of the whale's fractured vertebrae and one megalodon tooth, which were found close together in Maryland's Calvert Cliffs, a site dating to the Miocene epoch (23 million to 5.3 million years ago). Megalodon Shark vs. the Leviathan Whale: Who Would Win? Originally named Leviathan melvillei, after the biblical behemoth of myth and the author of Moby-Dick, this whale's genus name was changed to the Hebrew Livyatan after it turned out that "Leviathan" had already been assigned to an obscure prehistoric elephant. No. What tricks would the kraken have up its sleeve?According to legend, the kraken was so large that its body could be mistaken for an island. Killer sperm whales also hunted in groups, compared to the Megalodon which hunted alone. Also, as a cold-blooded shark rather than a warm-blooded mammal, Megalodon possessed a comparably smaller, more primitive brain, and was presumably less capable of thinking its way out of a tough spot, instead acting entirely on instinct. Decent, but by no means impressive. Were off the coast of Norway, where the krakens and the megolodons territories overlap.In one corner we have the megalodon. The Blue Whale, by contrast, uses its massive flipper for propulsion and fins to steer. Blue whales generally swim alone or in pairs, but they apparently attach to another living being that spends time with them. Their natural predatory instincts and feeding behavior give them an advantage over the Blue Whale. The cooling oceans likelydiminished the areaswhere Megalodonswhich were warm-water sharks could survive. If they were to face off in the ocean, in a match between the Megaladon Vs Bloop, who would win? For copyright matters please contact us: top5sfinest@gmail.com Although this fight will probably last for a prolonged period of time, I do see the orca pod eventually taking down the shark with their speed and cooperation. Its pretty obvious that the Blue Whale is the bigger apex predator in this fight. The scientists also discovered that the membrane surrounding the bone, known as the periosteum, had produced new bone after the injury. If you're a fan, you've already. This means they were built to be at the top of a food chain, without predators. Megalodons are estimated to have a biting power of 108,000 to 180,000 Newtons. The reason for the squalodon becoming extinct is unknown. Given their sophisticated behavior, it is possible that the Megalodon could become prey to the killer whale. The only thing they have to be careful off, the jaws. Large analysis says the long-held idea is flat-out wrong, 120-year-old Cassius is pushing limit of crocodile longevity and he's got 'years to come,' expert says, James Webb telescope discovers carbon compounds crucial to life in star system 1,000 light-years from Earth, Orca rams boat off Scottish coast, 2,000 miles away from original attacks. Ultra-rare, deep-diving whale dies on New England beach with possible case of bird flu, Suspected Russian spy whale is looking for love in all the wrong places, Ground beneath Italys awakening 'supervolcano' rose 66 feet before its last eruption. Otodus megalodonpreviously known asCarcharodonorcarcharocles megalodon dates back 20 million years. Whereas the Blue Whale doesnt even have teeth, the Megalodon sports serrated daggers ready to lock down on prey. The meg will hide in ybe mariana trench were the orcas can't attack him. Megalodon vs Great White: Who Would Win in a Fight? All Rights Reserved. 108,514 and 182,201 Newtons (N) and youd be best advised to stay away from the business end of this apex predator. Epic Battles: The Largest Shark Ever vs. A Killer Whale Pod If youre a fan, youve already witnessed our megalodon vs. mosasaur episode. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Quick Guide for Paper Dimensions, What Size is My Monitor: A Comprehensive Guide, How Big is Italy Compared to the US? Megalodon VS Whale | Whale Facts But, Im going to assume they are at least comparable to Great Whites. Simply put, size can (in many cases) be highly advantageous in a physical altercation. Blue whales have a biting power of around 182,000 Newtons, but they rarely use their bites for feeding. From the information that was gathered about these sharks, it is believed that the Megalodon was able to reach lengths of up to 60 ft. long and was equipped with sharp, deadly teeth that could grow to lengths of over 7 inches long, making them one of the most lethal predators against dolphins and whales. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. While they are aggressive and intelligent hunters, it is uncertain how they would approach the Megalodon if they were alive today. This is a picture of a Megalodon compared to some everyday things: https://www.fossilera.com/pages/megalodon-size. The Megalodon would have the initial advantage, sensing the vibrations of a giant beast up ahead. There is a reason why boxing, wrestling, and UFC fighters compete in weight classes. "It's just so over the top in terms of the violence," Godfrey said, adding that it's hard to imagine any seizure or convulsion packing such a punch. As for the Megalodon, its senses were believed to have been highly evolved, making it a killer apex predator capable of hunting down its prey with precision and agility. You can hear their hearts beat from as far as 2 miles away. Today's sperm whales can reach lengths of over 50 feet (15 m), Godfrey noted. Whether the Megalodon or Whale would dominate the ocean today, these massive sharks would likely win the battle with their long, sharp teeth and incredible crushing power. "In terms of the fossils we've seen on Calvert Cliffs, this kind of injury is exceedingly rare," he said. In the succeeding 13 million years, it dominated the ancient oceans until it went extinct 3.6 million years ago. Its time was up. How dangerous will the sun's chaotic peak be? Megalodon vs Sperm Whale: Offensive Capabilities. The somewhat sleeker, faster, and more muscular Megalodon pokes, wriggles and dives around Leviathan, nipping yard-long chunks out of its dorsal and tail fins but not managing to land that one killer blow. For millions of years, the hunting whale Livyatan (L. melvillei) or Leviathan had to fight for resources with the gigantic shark Megalodon (O. megalodon). Lunge feeding is using high-speed horizontal or vertical propulsion to consume large amounts of prey and water while removing the water through closed-mouth filtration. Solar maximum could hit us harder and sooner than we thought. Still, the killer whale may stand a chance against these large predators. Scientists estimate that the largest Megalodon grew to 82 feet (25 meters), while an average blue whale grows to 90 feet (27 meters) and the largest blue whale grows to 100 feet (30 meters). The Blue Whales ability to call for help from miles away may be a wild card here. If the Megalodon Shark were alive today, it is doubtful that any whale or dolphin would be much of a threat or challenge to these animals, except perhaps the killer whale. However, unlike other shark species that lay eggs externally, the megalodon shark appeared to give birth to its young. Discovered in Peru in 2008, the 10-foot-long skull of Leviathan testifies to a truly enormous prehistoric whale that plied the coasts of South America about 12 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. "We don't know the full repertoire of predatory techniques that megalodon could have employed, but it's possible that, like living sharks, they ambushed their prey from below," Godfrey said. While there is no great way to numerically measure this succinctly: Orcas are very smart. The Megalodon weighs in at upwards of 50-70 tons, measuring a span of up to 60-70 feet in length. When discussing deep-sea monsters the Megalodon always seems to pop up in conversation, but what about the Bloop? Not only is the Megalodon the biggest shark in the world, but its also one of the largest fish to have ever existed. Mysterious 'zombie planet' Halla seems to have survived the explosive death of its star. Megalodon Vs Killer Whale: Who Wins And Comparative Analysis An illustration showing how the attack may have gone down, with a megatoothed shark biting the lower jaw of the sperm whale. Who Would Win a Fight Between Megalodon and Leviathan. While that can in many ways be advantageous, water is tough to move quickly through, and the smaller Megalodon size profile may aid in faster more agile attacks and defensive movements. However, the Megalodon would likely emerge as the reigning champion in a one-on-one encounter. Total votes: 30 Orca Pod (of 6 - 8) defeats Carcharocles megalodon (male or female) 20 (67%) Orca Pod (of 6 - 8) defeats Carcharocles megalodon male, Carcharocles megalodon female defeats Orca Pod (of 6 - 8) 2 (7%) Carcharocles megalodon (male or female) defeats Orca Pod (of 6 - 8) 8 (27%) Orca Pod (of 6 - 8) - Orcinus orca I think more orcas would be needed to hunt a Megalodon. The megalodon, the big boss of our ancient oceans, the king of all sharks, killer of whales. Rather than chasing the dolphin all at once and running out of energy, the killer whales will space themselves apart and take turns chasing it until it cannot escape due to exhaustion. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU. Euclid space telescope launches this week. It is believed that Megalodons mouth was between 9-11ft in width.