The megalodon—the biggest shark ever to exist—may have been driven to extinction by a supernova explosion 2.6 million years ago. According to a recent paper, supernovas may have been the cause of a number of unexplained mass extinctions throughout earth’s history, including the monstrous and fantastically named giant shark species Megalodon, a relative of the great white shark, whose mysterious extinction some 2.6 million years ago has long puzzled scientists. By 2016, however, studies had shown that megalodon’s geographic distribution did not increase appreciably during warm periods or decrease appreciably during cold periods, suggesting that the species demise was not dependent on climatic changes alone. For a long time, the extinction of this great prehistoric beast was put down to climate change. A new paper in the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences reveals the likely cause for the megalodon shark’s extinction, CNN reports. The extinction of Megalodon is particularly relevant because it was an apex predator. It reports instead that validated fossil data suggests that megalodon died out near the end of the first stage of the Pliocene, the Zanclean Stage (about 3.6 million years ago). Megalodon teeth have a series of pores along the surface of their roots. An extinct species, or one that has suffered extinction, no longer contributes to the evolution of organisms, … The latest research published in the PeerJ journal challenges that by re-evaluating pre-existing data and redating the extinction back to around a million years earlier.. Share: Share. It’s believed this was caused by a supernova, which triggered … Scattered distribution, insufficient food, or increased vulnerability of its pups may all have played a role. Megalodon’s geographic distribution expanded throughout the Miocene but contracted during the Pliocene as populations declined. The nature of the extinction event is uncertain, but researchers suggest that it involved habitat loss due to shifting sea levels. Yet the White Shark survives to this day. However, the exact cause of Megalodon’s demise remains a mystery. It is thought that the great white shark caused their extinction. Cause of Megalodons ' extinction revealed. Scientists from Zurich University have proposed the largest shark that ever lived became extinct due to a lack of prey and increased competition from predators. Carcharocles megalodon lived between 2.6m and 28m years ago and could grow to up to 18 metres in length. BBC: Megladon - Extinct Whale Killer Competition from a fish much smaller, but sill quite deadly in its own right, caused the demise for the biggest shark species ever. Other reports suggest it could have been other predators, such as the tiger shark which was the culprit. However, these are some of the hypothesis about the extinction of Carcharodon megalodon (from the book “Megalodon. Massive predator may have died out due to rise of great whites, scientists say. Megalodons were wiped out when killer whales invaded: Competition for food drove 60ft sharks to extinction 2 million years ago. Initially, scientists thought that the decline was due to swings in ocean temperatures related to climate change, possibly caused by the closing of the seaway separating North America and South America about 3 million years ago, which deflected ocean currents and caused … An expert on ancient sharks told National Geographic that he is not convinced that just one species can cause such a decline.. However, the rise in prominence of great white sharks alone cant be credited with the megalodon’s demise. Fossil evidence suggests it was found across the planet, and at 60 feet long, it was the biggest shark, in fact, the biggest fish—of all time. 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