A size diagram comparing various size estimates for the extinct shark <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otodus_megalodon" class="extiw" title="w:Otodus megalodon">Otodus megalodon</a></i> to <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcharodon_carcharias" class="extiw" title="w:Carcharodon carcharias">Carcharodon carcharias</a></i> (great white shark), <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhincodon_typus" class="extiw" title="w:Rhincodon typus">Rhincodon typus</a></i> (whale shark), and a human. Also shown are megalodon specimens the estimates are based on, vertebral column IRSNB P 9893, upper anterior tooth NSM PV-19896, and lateral tooth GHC 6.
<p><br></p>
<dl><dd>• The exact body proportions of <i>Otodus megalodon</i> are unknown. Most specimens are only known from teeth or vertebrae, many of which are isolated. Cooper et al. (2020) used modern relatives to estimate the body dimensions of <i>O. megalodon</i>. The silhouettes shown here are based on the dimensions proposed by Cooper et al. and a life restoration by Oliver Demuth.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>Most total length (TL) estimates come from tooth regression equations, which extrapolate from the dimensions of known megalodon teeth and comparisons to other sharks. There are a few different equations that researchers have produced that use different tooth landmarks, such as the total tooth height, the tooth crown height, or the crown width. The TL estimates produced from these equations can differ considerably, even using the same tooth.</dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>An equation by Gottfried et al. (1996) uses total tooth height to estimate TL. Shimada (2002) produced a series of TL equations for each tooth position which used tooth crown height instead.<sup id="cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GOTTFRIED_1996-2">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shimada2019-3">[3]</a></sup> Using Shimada's equations, Pimiento &amp; Balk (2015) estimated average size throughout geological time and geography, including adults and juveniles, based on regression equations of 544 teeth at 10.5 metres (34 ft).<sup id="cite_ref-Pimiento2015_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Pimiento2015-4">[4]</a></sup> Gottfried et al. (1996) also listed this size as the 'smallest mature male', based on comparisons to a dataset of great whites.<sup id="cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GOTTFRIED_1996-2">[2]</a></sup> Greater than 10.5 metres (34 ft) is also the size that Pimiento et al. interpreted <i>O. megalodon</i> to be adults.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>However, later studies have shown that estimates from the Shimada (2002) equations can produce widely differing results. The equations produce larger estimates for more posterior tooth positions. This casts doubt on some of the conclusions and estimates of previous studies that have used this method.<sup id="cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shimada2019-3">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Perezetal2021_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Perezetal2021-6">[6]</a></sup> Shimada (2019) argued that only anterior teeth produce reliable estimates and that using non-anterior teeth should be avoided. Using an anterior tooth with the tallest crown height available, NSM PV-19896 (12 cm (4.7 in) crown height), Shimada estimated a TL of 14.2 metres (47 ft). Using the overall tallest anterior tooth, FMNH PF 11306 (16.2 cm (6.4 in) cm total height), and using the Gottfried equation produced a TL estimate of 15.3 metres (50 ft).<sup id="cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shimada2019-3">[3]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>Perez et al. (2021) proposed a technique that uses the sum of the tooth crown widths to estimate total length. This technique results in slightly larger estimates than Shimada's anterior tooth equations but smaller estimates than the posterior tooth equations. The largest and widest tooth available to Perez et al., GHC 6 (13.3 cm (5.2 in) crown width), produced estimates ranging from 17.4 to 24.2 meters (57 to 79 ft) with a mean estimate of 20.3 metres (67 ft).<sup id="cite_ref-Perezetal2021_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Perezetal2021-6">[6]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>In 2022, Cooper et al. digitised a megalodon vertebral column of ~150 vertebrae, IRSNB P 9893. Based on this, they attempted a 3d reconstruction. Their completed reconstruction of the vertebral column was 11.1 metres (36 ft), which they assumed ended at the precaudal region. The total length of their reconstruction was 15.9 metres (52 ft).<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>• The great white shark (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>); The larger silhouette is scaled to 6 metres (20 ft) total length, which is the size that Gottfried et al. (1996) list as the 'largest mature female'. The smaller is scaled to 4.7 metres (15 ft), the size Gottfried et al. list as the 'smallest mature female'. On average, male great whites are smaller than females.<sup id="cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GOTTFRIED_1996-2">[2]</a></sup> The largest size obtainable by the great white is controversial. At least two individuals have been reported at around 7 metres (23 ft) or more in length, which some researchers have questioned and estimated as being smaller. However, a study in 1996 found that the photos and measurements did not rule out the reported size estimates.<sup id="cite_ref-McClain2015_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-McClain2015-8">[8]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>• The whale shark (<i>Rhincodon typus</i>); the larger silhouette is scaled to 15 metres (49 ft) precaudal length (est. 18.8 metres (62 ft) total length), based on a whale shark measured in 2001.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup> The maximum size of the whale shark is uncertain. There are various reports that suggest individuals around 18 metres (59 ft), but many of these reports lack detailed measurements and documentation. McClain et al. (2015) consider this whale shark as the largest reliably measured.<sup id="cite_ref-McClain2015_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-McClain2015-8">[8]</a></sup> Whale sharks are sexually mature at around 8 to 9 meters (26 to 30 ft) in length. Meekan et al. (2020) studied whale sharks over a 10 year period. They found that males stop growing around this size on average. The smaller silhouette is scaled to 14.5 metres (48 ft), the average asymptotic size estimated by Meekan et al. (2020) for females. However, this was based on a limited dataset of six females and the average was lower if aquarium whale sharks where also included.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:7_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:7-13">[13]</a></sup></dd></dl><p><br></p>
<dl><dd>• Human diver scaled to ~180 cm (5 ft 11 in). Silhouette extracted from <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sperm_whale_size.svg" title="File:Sperm whale size.svg">Sperm whale size.svg</a>.</dd></dl><p><br></p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist references-column-count references-column-count-1" style="-moz-column-count:1;-webkit-column-count:1;column-count:1; list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Cooper, J. A. (2020). "Body dimensions of the extinct giant shark <i>Otodus megalodon</i>: a 2D reconstruction". <i>Scientific Reports</i> <b>10</b> (14596). <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71387-y">10.1038/s41598-020-71387-y</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-GOTTFRIED_1996-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <a href="#cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-GOTTFRIED_1996_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">GOTTFRIED, MICHAEL D. (1996). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-012415031-7/50008-2">Size and Skeletal Anatomy of the Giant “Megatooth” Shark Carcharodon megalodon</a>. <i>Great White Sharks</i> 55–66. Elsevier. Retrieved on <span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2019-10-07">2019-10-07</span>.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Shimada2019-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <a href="#cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Shimada2019_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Shimada, Kenshu (2019). "The size of the megatooth shark, <i>Otodus megalodon</i> (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), revisited". <i>Historical Biology</i>: 1–8. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2019.1666840">10.1080/08912963.2019.1666840</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0891-2963">0891-2963</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Pimiento2015-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-Pimiento2015_4-0">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Pimiento, Catalina (2015). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0094837315000160/type/journal_article">Body-size trends of the extinct giant shark Carcharocles megalodon : a deep-time perspective on marine apex predators</a>". <i>Paleobiology</i> <b>41</b> (3): 479–490. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2015.16">10.1017/pab.2015.16</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0094-8373">0094-8373</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-5">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Pimiento, Catalina (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2010-05-10">2010-05-10</span>). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866656">Ancient nursery area for the extinct giant shark megalodon from the Miocene of Panama</a>". <i>PloS One</i> <b>5</b> (5): e10552. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010552">10.1371/journal.pone.0010552</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID" class="extiw" title="w:PMID">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479893">20479893</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubMed_Central" class="extiw" title="w:PubMed Central">PMC</a>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866656">2866656</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1932-6203">1932-6203</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Perezetal2021-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <a href="#cite_ref-Perezetal2021_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Perezetal2021_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Perez, Victor (2021). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2021/3284-estimating-lamniform-body-size">Body length estimation of Neogene macrophagous lamniform sharks (Carcharodon and Otodus) derived from associated fossil dentitions</a>". <i>Palaeontologia Electronica</i>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.26879/1140">10.26879/1140</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-7">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Cooper, Jack A. (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2022-08-19">2022-08-19</span>). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMCPMC9385135">The extinct shark Otodus megalodon was a transoceanic superpredator: Inferences from 3D modeling</a>". <i>Science Advances</i> <b>8</b> (33): eabm9424. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm9424">10.1126/sciadv.abm9424</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID" class="extiw" title="w:PMID">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35977007">35977007</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubMed_Central" class="extiw" title="w:PubMed Central">PMC</a>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMCPMC9385135">PMC9385135</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2375-2548">2375-2548</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-McClain2015-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <a href="#cite_ref-McClain2015_8-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-McClain2015_8-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">McClain, Craig R. (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2015-01-13">2015-01-13</span>). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://peerj.com/articles/715">Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna</a>". <i>PeerJ</i> <b>3</b>: e715. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.715">10.7717/peerj.715</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2167-8359">2167-8359</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-9">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Mollet, HENRY F.; Ebert, DAVID A.; Cailliet, GREGOR M.; Testi, ANTONIO D.; Klimley, A. PETER (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1996-01-01">1996-01-01</span>), “CHAPTER 10 - A Review of Length Validation Methods and Protocols to Measure Large White Sharks”, in <cite>Great White Sharks</cite><sup><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124150317500112">[1]</a></sup> (in en), Academic Press, <small><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<span class="neverexpand"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fb978-012415031-7%2F50011-2">10.1016/b978-012415031-7/50011-2</a></span></small>, <small><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="w:International Standard Serial Number">ISBN</a> <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-415031-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-12-415031-7">978-0-12-415031-7</a></small>, pages 91–108</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-10">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Borrell, Asunción (2011). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10641-011-9879-y">Stable isotope profiles in whale shark (Rhincodon typus) suggest segregation and dissimilarities in the diet depending on sex and size</a>". <i>Environmental Biology of Fishes</i> <b>92</b> (4): 559–567. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9879-y">10.1007/s10641-011-9879-y</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0378-1909">0378-1909</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-11">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Colman, J. G. (1997). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01138.x">A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark</a>". <i>Journal of Fish Biology</i> <b>51</b> (6): 1219–1234. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01138.x">10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01138.x</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1095-8649">1095-8649</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-12">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Stevens, J. D. (<span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2007-03-01">2007-03-01</span>). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783606003948">Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) biology and ecology: A review of the primary literature</a>". <i>Fisheries Research</i> <b>84</b> (1): 4–9. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2006.11.008">10.1016/j.fishres.2006.11.008</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0165-7836">0165-7836</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-:7-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-:7_13-0">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite style="font-style:normal">Meekan, Mark G. (2020). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.575683/full">Asymptotic Growth of Whale Sharks Suggests Sex-Specific Life-History Strategies</a>". <i>Frontiers in Marine Science</i> <b>7</b>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier" class="extiw" title="w:Digital object identifier">DOI</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.575683">10.3389/fmars.2020.575683</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number" class="extiw" title="en:International Standard Serial Number">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2296-7745">2296-7745</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
</ol></div>
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