Were there prehistoric whales?

Asked by: Shannon Espino

Fossil of 85-foot blue whale is largest ever discovered. The marine giant lived about 1.5 million years ago, suggesting that blue whales started bulking up much earlier than thought. The blue whale is not only the largest animal alive today, it is the largest one that has ever lived.

Was there a prehistoric whale?

Egyptian scientists say the fossil of a four-legged prehistoric whale, unearthed over a decade ago in the country’s Western Desert, is that of a previously unknown species. The creature, an ancestor of the modern-day whale, is believed to have lived 43 million years ago.

Was there a giant prehistoric whale?

Leviathan Weighed as Much as 50 Tons

A size comparison of an adult Leviathan and an average-sized adult human. Extrapolating from its 10-foot-long skull, paleontologists believe that Leviathan measured upwards of 50 feet from head to tail and weighed as much as 50 tons, about the same size as a modern sperm whale.

What was the prehistoric whale called?

Livyatan

Was there a prehistoric killer whale?

Egyptian scientists have identified a new species of prehistoric killer whale from a 43-million-year-old fossil that was found in Eqypt’s “Whale Valley”. The ancient fossil, which was unearthed in Egypt’s Western Desert in 2008, has been named as Phiomicetus Anubis, after the god of death in ancient Egypt.

Did megalodon live with Livyatan?

Millions of years ago, the hunting whale called Livyatan (L. melvillei) had to compete with the massive shark called megalodon (O. megalodon) for resources. These two lived together over 9 million years ago, but the megalodon was the last one standing, living as few as 3.6 million years ago.

Could megalodon still exist?

But could megalodon still exist? ‘No. It’s definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past,’ notes Emma. ‘If an animal as big as megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it.

Is Leviathan extinct?

The authors think that Leviathan, like the extinct giant shark, preyed on medium-sized baleen whales, which were between 7 and 10 metres long, smaller than today’s humpback whales and widely diverse at the time. The authors speculate that Leviathan became extinct as a result of changing environmental conditions.

When was Leviathan extinct?

A cooling climate during the Late Miocene around 10 million or 11 million years ago resulted in the disappearance of giant, active predators such as Leviathan.

Is blue whale prehistoric?

The marine giant lived about 1.5 million years ago, suggesting that blue whales started bulking up much earlier than thought. The blue whale is not only the largest animal alive today, it is the largest one that has ever lived.

What’s bigger than a megalodon?

A blue whale can grow to up to five times the size of a megalodon. Blue whales reach a maximum length of 110 feet, which is far larger than even the biggest meg.

Is a Tyrannosaurus rex bigger than a blue whale?

Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived. An adult blue whale can grow to a massive 30m long and weigh more than 180,000kg – that’s about the same as 40 elephants, 30 Tyrannosaurus Rex or 2,670 average-sized men.

What hunted megalodon?

There are many animals that could beat megalodon. Some say megalodon ate Livyatan but it was an ambush predator and Livyatan might have eaten it too. The modern sperm whale, fin whale, blue whale, Sei whale, Triassic kraken, pliosaurus and colossal squid could all beat the megalodon.

Is a T rex bigger than a megalodon?

At a length of more than 50 feet (15 metres) and a mass of nearly 50 tons (tonnes), Megalodon was both larger and heavier than Tyrannosaurus rex.

What is the oldest predator on Earth?

Earth’s first big predatory monster was a giant underwater scorpion that reigned in the ocean almost half a billion years ago, well before the dinosaurs, scientists have discovered. The creature grew to 170 centimtres (5ft 7in) and had a dozen claw arms sprouting from its head, as well as a spiked tail.

What is the biggest megalodon ever found?

This data suggests that mature adult megalodons had a mean length of 10.2 metres (about 33.5 feet), the largest specimens measuring 17.9 metres (58.7 feet) long. Some scientists, however, contend that the largest forms may have measured up to 25 metres (82 feet) long.

How much is a meg tooth worth?

Megalodon shark teeth can be valuable depending on their size. Fossil website FossilEra allows people to buy and sell megalodon teeth, and while some examples can go for a few hundred dollars, others, such as a serrated 6.21-inch tooth, are valued at nearly $3,000.

Was jaws a megalodon?

A new study from the University of Bristol and Swansea University has calculated the total body size of the Otodus megalodon – the distant ancestor of the great white shark depicted in hit blockbuster, Jaws, in 1975.

Is the megalodon still alive in 2021?

So, to sum everything up… Megalodon is NOT alive today, it went extinct around 3.5 million years ago. Go to the Megalodon Shark Page to learn the real facts about the largest shark to ever live, including the actual research about it’s extinction.

Is the MEG real?

The Meg was real and it was absolutely massive, scientists say | Metro News.

Where can I find megalodon?

I’ve found them in every state along the East coast of the US from NJ to Florida. In NJ, creeks are the most productive areas. In Maryland, the Calvert Cliffs area has some great fossils to find beachcombing. In Virginia and North Carolina, rivers, creeks and phosphate mines produce Megalodon teeth.