/data/photo/2022/06/03/6299caee72506.png "Study Says Great White Shark Caused Megalodon Ancient Shark Extinction")
KOMPAS.com – Hiu ancient Megalodon who lived more than 23 million years ago were almost four times larger than hiu white that sails the ocean today. A new study reveals that White shark be the cause extinction giant shark megalodon.
However, the two shark species that once lived side by side are also likely to hunt some of the same prey.
According to a new study that competition could potentially be one of the reasons why hiu megalodon which can grow up to 20 meters is then extinct.
Quoted from CNNFriday (3/6/2022) to arrive at the findings the cause of the extinction of the megalodon shark In this case, the researchers used a new technique.
They analyzed the food signatures contained in the teeth of 13 extinct and 20 modern shark species to understand where they are in the food chain.
“Megalodon is usually depicted as a giant, super-sized shark in novels and films. But the truth is we still know very little about this extinct shark,” said Kenshu Shimada, study author and professor of paleobiology at DePaul University in Chicago.
Read also: 4 Times Longer Than Great White Shark, Expert Reveals Megalodon Shark Size
In a new study of the cause of the extinction of megalodon Shimada explains that the diet of the early Pliocene great white shark was very similar to that of the megalodon shark, suggesting that his data do not contradict the hypothesis of competition between the two shark species.
Researchers were able to gather this information by looking at the presence of different isotopes of the chemical element zinc preserved in shark tooth enamel.
Zinc is essential for living organisms and plays an important role in bone development.
The ratio of heavy and light zinc isotopes in the teeth maintains a record of the type of animal matter that sharks eat.
“Zinc isotopes can be used as ecological indicators because the ratios of these two different isotopes change as the animal moves up the food chain,” said Michael Griffiths, a co-author on the study.
For example, if ancient shark megalodon ate the great white shark, its higher position in the food chain would be reflected in the isotope record.
Read also: Is it true that the great ancestor of the great white shark was a megalodon?
However, this study found that these two great shark species have some overlap, suggesting that they share a similar prey.
Even so, researchers say the competition is not always direct because the two species can have different prey specializations.
But at least some food overlap between the two species is possible.
“White shark smaller in size so they probably don’t need as much food as megalodon. So they will have a competitive advantage if they eat similar prey,” Griffiths said.
Read also: What Did the Megalodon Shark Look Like? Scientifically Still a Mystery
But the researchers did not necessarily ignore other factors that could be the cause of the extinction of the megalodon shark.
“Extinction megalodon could be caused by a number of complex environmental and ecological factors, including climate change, reduced prey populations as well as competition for resources with white sharks and other sharks not studied in this study,” the researchers wrote.
Future analyzes of ancient shark teeth are expected to shed more light on how they lived and died.
The study which revealed that the great white shark was the cause of the megalodon’s extinction has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Read also: Megalodon Giant Shark Turns Out To Have Toothache, What Causes It?
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