Megalodon tooth

With a name that simply means big tooth, this extinct mackerel shark is a close relative of the great white shark in our oceans today. With very few remains, there is not enough evidence to give much insight into its size and appearance but they were probably in the region of 16 to 20 metres long with a body mass of 50 to 100 metric tonnes.

With a broad distribution across the earths surface they are thought to have predated on large mammals like seals and whales, reptiles such as sea turtles and large fish. Cooling oceans with the onset of an ice age is thought to be the main reason for its extinction.