A new study has shed light on the dietary habits of the massive megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, one of the largest predators to have existed in the world’s oceans. Researchers analyzed the ratio of zinc isotopes in the dental enamel of 19 ancient species, including Otodus megalodon and its relative Otodus chubutensis.
The study found that Otodus megalodon had a much broader range of prey than previously thought, consuming everything from fish to marine mammals. The shark’s size required an enormous amount of energy, estimated at around 100,000 kilocalories per day. This led scientists to assume that whales would be the primary source of food for megalodon.
However, the study revealed that Otodus megalodon and its close relative were actually opportunistic supercarnivores, capable of adapting their diet to whatever was available in their environment. The ratio of zinc isotopes provided a key insight into this adaptability, as different prey species absorb varying amounts of heavier zinc-66 isotope.
The researchers found that sea bream, which fed on smaller crustaceans and mollusks, formed the lowest level of the food chain. Smaller shark species were next, followed by larger sharks like sand tiger sharks. At the top of the food pyramid were giant sharks like Araloselachus cuspidatus, with megalodon occupying a position that was not clearly defined.
The study’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of megalodon’s ecological role and provide new insights into the evolution of marine vertebrate trophic ecology.
Source: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/megatooth-sharks-13938.html