Teeth of a giant prehistoric shark, buried on the ocean floor for millions of years, have been washing up on a beach in the United States.
Rain and high tides in North Carolina, associated with Hurricane Joaquin, have unearthed the massive shark teeth that once belonged to an 18-metre-long megalodon, an ancestor of the much smaller Great White Shark.
The megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived. It was cruising the oceans from some 15 million years ago to about 2 million years ago.
Scientists are not sure why the animal became extinct, although one hypothesis is that megalodon, which thrived when the Earth’s oceans were much warmer, was unable to adapt to changing conditions.
Originally published by Cosmos as Giant prehistoric shark’s teeth wash up on beach
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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