Teeth, Few Vertebrae All That Remain of Megalodon (IMAGE)

Florida Museum of Natural History

Teeth, Few Vertebrae All That Remain of Megalodon

Caption

Like other sharks, megalodon's skeleton was made of cartilage, which quickly decomposes after death. Researchers rely on its fossil teeth to estimate its size, using the great white shark as a proxy. While the two species belong to different families, they share similar lifestyles and tooth structure.

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Kristen Grace/Florida Museum of Natural History

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