Underneath a cerulean cloak of Atlantic blue, miles off the coast of Southport, N.C., researchers have opened a space-trafficking station on prehistoric prisoners. It was during a dive on the hallowed “Meg Ledge” that Guirgues came across what has now been confirmed as four exceptionally well-preserved fossilized teeth of the monstrous megalodon shark.
The Meg Ledge, hallowed ground for fossil-hunters has unveiled its treasures again. The find gives researchers a fresh look at the enigmatic orca-sized whale predator that cruised prehistoric coastlines 3.6 million years in the past: Otodus megalodon. It would have been the ultimate top predator, larger and more powerful than most of today’s sharks with teeth that even looked serrated in comparison. Based on some of the estimates, these megalodons grew to a mind-blowing 60 feet in length allowing them enormous sway over ancient oceanic realms.
Guirgues had collected the whitest teeth. The display showed off just how large the teeth were, as well their characteristic serrated edges a signature mark of megalodon champers. These exceptionally well-preserved fossils provide an unparalleled peek into the past, revealing secrets about where this monstrous predator fit in the evolutionary tree of life and how it made a living.
This is what really makes this discovery extraordinary, as teeth from a M. megalodon that are still in the mouth are very rare indeed. The complete specimens that Guirgues salvaged, as opposed to the scattered and fragmented ones elsewhere in Egypt, are priceless. They offer key clues about where the megalodon lived, and how it behaved – all helping to assemble a picture of this ancient giant.
For fossil fans, the Meg Ledge functions as a window into an ancient world that once bustled with marine activity within reach for all. Such findings are found treasure troves for paleontologists and marine biologists, who piece together the story of Earth’s oceans and its long-lost rulers.
The remarkable conservation of this teeth prove that massive geological movements had little prominent here as well, which preserved the appearance undestroyed for millions years. Its well-preserved state is allowing scientists to get a sense of the size of its body beyond just being able answer whether it was bigger, we have an idea about what might be their ecological role.
This is only the beginning of a whole can-of-worms opening up. Here you see I can help a little, by revealing that the more we know of this Meg Ledge could be one step closer to understanding how nature’s ultimate tyrant -the megalodon- dominated ancient seas.
