I was privileged to be part of team of researchers, led by my long-time friend and colleague Kenshu Shimada at DePaul University, in some new research that has helped reveal the size of newborn Megalodon pups! My university has done a wonderful job of writing up the implications of the research, and I provide that link below (thank you, Susan Allen!).

In a nutshell, by examining the growth bands in one of the best vertebral specimens of the extinct shark Otodous megalodon (Megalodon), a relative of the great white shark that grew to 14-15 meters in length, we were able to estimate the size of the new born pups: 2 meters or approximately 6.6 feet long! O. megalodon is a member of the lamniform sharks, and in all lamniforms the young hatch in utero and grow in part by eating unfertilized and sometimes fertilized eggs. That means growing Megalodon pups were likely practicing this same sibling cannibalism in the womb — whether that means they were eating hatched siblings is difficult to know.

To find out more: Jaw-dropping Research Reveals Megalodon Mysteries

Would you like to read the peer-reviewed article? https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2020.1861608