New Delhi, India

New research published in the journal Science Advances suggests that the extinct Otodus megalodon shark could eat up giant sharks like orca (or killer whales) in just five bites. 

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The study, published on Wednesday (August 17), revealed that experts used technology to reconstruct the entire body of the extinct animal which helped them to understand and analyse estimations of biological traits from the resulting geometry.

To conduct the study, researchers used fossil evidence to create a 3D model of the megalodon and find evidence about its life and then further investigate the findings. 

Megalodon is one of the biggest predatory fish of all time and the meaning of megalodon is "big tooth". It is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago. 

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Megalodon is a close relative of the great white shark and was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae.

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After analysing the specifications, the study revealed that the megalodon was bigger than a school bus, around 16 metres from nose to tail, which is about two to three times the size of today's great white shark. 

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The study also revealed that due to the gaping jaw, the megalodon could feed on other big creatures. The researchers also claimed that once it filled its massive stomach, it could roam the oceans for months at a time. 

When it comes to speed, the megalodon was quite fast. It is said that its average cruising speed was faster than sharks today. The researchers also calculated that it could have migrated across multiple oceans with ease.

Co-author John Hutchinson, who studies the evolution of animal movement at England's Royal Veterinary College, said, "It would be a superpredator just dominating its ecosystem. There is nothing really matching it."

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The study author Catalina Pimiento, who is a paleobiologist at the University of Zurich and Swansea University in Wales, said that it's been tough for scientists to get a clear picture of the megalodon. 

Pimiento further revealed that the skeleton is made of soft cartilage that apparently doesn't fossilize well. It is said that the scientists used what few fossils are available, including a rare collection of vertebrae that's been at a Belgium museum since the 1860s.

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