EXPERTS have speculated that one ancient sea creature was even more powerful than the mighty megalodon.Megalodons are an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23million to 3.6million years ago.
Experts have speculated that one ancient sea creature was even more powerful than the mighty megalodonCredit: Shutterstock
The livyatan was a hunting whale that lived around 13million years agoCredit: Shutterstock
The creatures, which evolved after the extinction of dinosaurs, could measure up to 65 feet – about the size of three long SUVs.Because of its size and sheer strength, it’s no surprise that the megalodon was an apex predator.Apex predators refer to an animal that is at the top of the food chain and has no natural predators. However, there was another apex predator roaming the seas millions of years ago: the livyatan.The livyatan was a hunting whale that lived around 13million years ago.
It measured 44 to 57 feet long and weighed up to 62.8 tons, making it the largest known whale in history.What’s more, some experts believe that the livyatan would have won in a fight against the ancient shark.For starters, the whale could propel at speeds up to 20 miles per hour, whereas the megalodon could only reach top speeds of 11 miles per hour.
Another advantage the whale had over the shark was its teeth size.The livyatan had some massive teeth in both jaws, with teeth measuring over 1 foot in length.That means when the livyatan did bite prey, it likely ripped out large amounts of flesh.Meanwhile, the megalodon’s teeth only measured around half of the livyatan’s teeth size – around 7 inches long.It appears that the livyatan was also a better hunter of prey than the megalodon.
“Another problem for the megalodon stems from the way that megalodons attack,” A-Z-animals.com explained on its blog.”They prefer to dig into the stomachs of their prey. In this case, they’re going to get blood and blubber on their first few bites, and that’s not going to help it kill a massive whale,” the blog continued.
Ultimately, the outcome of a fight between a livyatan and the megalodon would depend on a number of factors including environmental ones.But based on the available evidence, it is likely that the Livyatan would win in a fight against the Megalodon.