The biggest shark to ever exist was Megalodon, a 60-foot behemoth that ruled the seas until their extinction approximately 2.6 million years ago.

The colossal creature is known to science as one of the largest, most powerful predators to have ever lived. Researchers estimate that this fantastic beast averaged anywhere from 45 to 60+ feet in length (that’s significantly larger than a school bus!) and weighed nearly 100 tons.

With a bite force of up to 180,000 newtons and a mouthful of serrated teeth measuring up to 7 inches in length, this bulky fish was a force to be reckoned with. Megalodon dined upon the ancient oceans’ largest whales, seals, sirenians, and sea turtles.

Unlike great whites that attack their prey’s soft underbelly from below, fossil records indicate that Megalodon targeted the heart and lungs, ramming the animals and piercing their rib cages with a single bite. Some evidence also indicates that they may have immobilized larger whales by first ripping their fins off. Yikes.

Like the great white, megalodon had a cosmopolitan distribution, meaning you could find them in oceans all over the planet.

Scientists believe that megalodon likely went extinct when its prey items—namely, large marine mammals—started dying out. The shark was simply too large to sustain itself with such limited prey sources.

Watch the video below to learn more:

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