Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Megalodon

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Megalodon[edit]

This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page.

The result was: scheduled for Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 22, 2018 by Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:25, 17 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Model of jaws

Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) is an extinct species of shark that lived around 23 to 2.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Late Pliocene. It was argued that it was closely related to the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), however it is now thought to belong to the extinct family Otodontidae. It is thought that it looked like a stocky great white shark, and it measured at most 18 meters (59 ft), averaging 10.5 metres (34 ft). Their large jaws could exert a bite force of up to 108,500 to 182,200 newtons (24,400 to 41,000 lbf). Megalodon used its strong jaws and thick teeth to grab large, struggling prey, and to puncture the heart and lungs. It probably fed on marine mammals, mainly baleen whales, in oceans around the world. It is thought that competition from other large predators (such as Livyatan), the ice ages, and the shift in whale populations led to its decline. The shark has made appearances in several media, such as the Discovery Channel's docufiction Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. (Full article...)