It's a match for the ages- the largest shark to ever live vs
the largest crocodile to ever stalk the earth. Who would win in a matchup
that's all teeth and bite between two of prehistory's most terrifying predators?
In the blue corner we have Megalodon, which may have been the largest
fish to ever live. Rolling onto the scene 20 million years ago, Megalodon instantly became
the ocean's apex predator, with the only thing that could threaten a Megaladon being another,
bigger Megalodon. However, once these massive animals reached adulthood they were in effect,
predator proof, and only old age and disease could take down these massive monsters.
But how big was the largest predatory fish in known prehistory?
We don't have any Megalodon bones to study because like modern sharks, its bones were mostly made up
of cartilage, which breaks down quickly without giving remains the chance to fossilize. However,
we can estimate the size of a Megalodon with a great deal of reliability by simply examining its
teeth- about the only thing this terrifying predator left behind. Made out of calcium,
Megalodon teeth easily survived to the modern age, and by using the same estimates
between tooth and body size that we use on modern sharks, we come up with a creature
that could reach up to 18 meters in length- or almost 60 feet! That's just over half the size
of the largest animal believed to have ever existed, the modern blue whale, which can
reach 110 feet- and would have absolutely been a meal for Megalodon if it was still around.
Megalodon teeth could reach up to 18 centimeters- or 7 inches-
absolutely dwarfing modern day great white shark teeth. With a mouth full of 276 teeth,
Megalodon would make short work of anything it sunk its teeth into, and that included equally
large prey. Megalodon regularly hunted whales, large fish, and even other sharks, as well as
prehistoric aquatic mammals like the ancestors of seals and dolphins. An ambush predator like
the modern great white shark, Megalodon would have cruised deep below any potential prey,
then Megalodon would propel itself with its powerful tail, striking at prey from below. With
large whales its believed Megalodon would have targeted the flippers, ripping them off with one
or two bites, and leaving the animal helpless as Megalodon took its time eating. it at its leisure.
But how strong was Megalodon's bite?- because if it's going to take on the
largest crocodile to ever exist, it's going to have some tough plate armor to chew through.
Humans have a bite force of around 1,317 newtons, which is enough to chomp down on the occasional
steak and tear meat free. A great white shark though has a bite force of 18,216 newtons,
which is more than enough to bite down on the occasional human and tear limbs free.
Scaling that up to Megalodon size though we get a bite force between 108,514 newtons and
182,201 newtons- which might possibly be the strongest bite force in history.
In the defense department, Megalodon would have had the same tough skin of modern sharks. Shark
skin is actually made up of an outer covering of tough v-shaped scales called dermal denticles.
These fit together much like human scale mail armor. These interlocking scales all face in
one direction, greatly reducing drag as the shark swims through the water. However the interlocking
nature of the scales also make a shark very difficult to actually hurt, as any attempt to
bite or puncture it will have you trying to punch through multiple layers of scales. That's going to
be quite the challenge for our megacroc to try and overcome in this one on one match to the death.
In the red corner is the challenger, one of the largest land predators to ever live,
and a nightmare that could have swallowed a man whole with room for dessert.
It lived side by side with the most terrifying predators to ever walk the earth- and made them
its prey. Best described as a walking tank, Demosuchus was the largest crocodile ever
discovered to have walked the earth, a beast made for taking on some of the largest prey in history.
From tip of its long tail to its snout, Demosuchus measured over 10.6 meters (35 feet) long,
and if it walked by you would have easily reached to the top of your chest as it ambled by on four
powerful legs. Even more than Megalodon would have resembled modern sharks, Demosuchus was
practically a spitting image of a modern large saltwater crocodile, with the exception of a more
alligator-like broad snout with a bulbous tip. Inside that massive snout lurked over 80 teeth,
each several inches long. Those teeth may not have been as immediately impressive as a Megalodon's,
but unlike Megalodon, Demosuchus's teeth came in two roles. The first role was for
gripping and tearing flesh from prey, and this was accomplished with large,
pointed and sharp teeth. The second role though was for crushing limbs and bones,
and this was accomplished by the rear teeth which were shorter, rounder and blunt.
Like most modern sharks, chewing was very difficult for Megalodon- but Demosuchus was
designed to chew every bite it ate, leaving little behind for scavengers to feast on.
Modern saltwater crocodiles have the strongest bite force of any living animal,
with a maximum bite force of 16,414 newtons. Scaling that up to Demosuchus's
size we have a bite force that's estimated to range between 18,000 newtons to 102,803
newtons- putting it in contention with Megalodon, even if coming a bit short.
Demosuchus is believed to have hunted much like modern crocodiles and alligators,
by ambushing prey at the water's edge. Given its extreme size though, it's extremely likely
that this crocosaurus would have hunted dinosaurs that came by for a drink. Possible tooth marks on
the tail vertebrae of several hadrosaurid remains hint at the credibility of this hypothesis- and if
Demosuchus didn't prey on dinosaurs then, as has been proposed, why would it have been so gigantic?
It's believed Demosuchus waited by the water's edge, submerged except for its eyes and nostrils,
waiting for a thirsty dinosaur to draw near. Once suitable prey came to the water,
Demosuchus would use its powerful tail- much like modern crocodiles- and launch itself at its prey,
clamping down on it and then using its powerful body to drag the prey back towards the water.
Once in the water, the giant croc would simply hold its prey under until it drowned,
and then perform the dreaded 'death roll' to rip chunks of flesh off the body to consume.
In the defense department, Demosuchus would have been covered in the same thick, scaly hide of its
modern cousins. It would have likely had a very similar body make-up as its modern day ancestors,
which would include bony plates over the upper parts of the back, head, and tail,
located under the tough scaly hide. While there's a misconception that modern crocodiles have
bulletproof hides, the idea is not without merit, as the tough, scaly hide of a large crocodile can
in fact be extremely resistant to small caliber weapons. Scale that up to the size of Demosuchus
and you have a walking land tank that would have been incredibly difficult to injure.
So which wins in a battle to the death?
First, it's important to note that these two predators would likely have never met in a real
life confrontation outside of our Infographics arena. Not only are they separated by tens of
millions of years of time, but they both existed in completely different environments. Demosuchus
would have hunted swamps and rivers of the inland, while Megalodon would have been best suited for
deeper or moderately deep waters where the massive shark could successfully ambush unwary prey.
Modern encounters between sharks and crocodiles aren't unheard of- like in this video here:
and there's even been suspected shark-on-crocodile violence- but the massive size of a Megalodon
would have prevented it from accessing the shallow coastal oceans crocodiles sometimes pass through.
Let's compare weapons though.
The Megalodon had over 250 razor sharp teeth each the size of a human hand.
These were designed for ripping and tearing flesh, which would have posed a problem going
up against a Demosuchus. This massive crocodile would have been well armored,
with many of its most vital areas such as the internal organs protected by bony
plates underneath a hide tough enough to stop rifle rounds. Much like medieval scale mail was
very resilient versus stabs and puncture wounds, Demosuchus' tough hide would have
been a large obstacle for Megalodon to score a devastating wound through.
But Megalodon was no ordinary shark, and potentially had a bite force well
over 100,000 newtons. Plus, the big shark had a big weight advantage, weighing in at as much as
59.4 metric tons. Compare that to Deinosuchus which only weighed in at a maximum of 5 tons,
and you've got a very clear size advantage. Combine Megalodon's biting power with its massive
size advantage, and Deinosuchus's tough hide would have eventually given way to Megalodon's attacks.
Deinosuchus meanwhile had teeth designed for dual purposes- the front teeth worked
to grip and rip at prey, while the back teeth would crush whatever ended up in its mouth.
Megalodon's own skin may have been protected by large, tough denticles,
but Deinosuchus's bite force would have easily penetrated to deliver some serious wounds.
With biting being both predator's primary way of killing prey,
we have to give the advantage to Megalodon, who's teeth may not be
optimally designed for getting through Deinosuchus's thick armor plated body,
but who's overwhelming size would have given it a power edge that Deinosuchus simply couldn't match.
We can gather clues to who would truly win though
by examining the way each animal would have hunted.
Much like modern crocodiles, Deinosuchus would have waited at the water's edge,
carefully submerged until an unwary prey item came to get a drink.
Once a Deinosuchus had a grip on its prey, it would have initiated the famous death roll.
Megalodon would have likely ambushed its prey from below, much like many sharks
do today. It's hide was likely much like a great white's, being darkly colored on the
top and light on the bottom. This would allow a megalodon to cruise at depth where it would
blend in with the darkness, giving unwary prey above it no chance of spotting it until
it is too late. As an ambush predator, Megalodon likely struck from the depths,
rocketing up like a torpedo to deliver a crippling bite, similar to modern sharks.
Our two animals have to fight in an arena that can actually hold them both, which means deep water
which can accommodate Megalodon's massive size. This puts Deinosuchus at a major disadvantage,
as his hunting style is to mostly sit and wait to ambush prey that wanders too near.
With deep water, Megalodon once again has all the advantages,
allowing it to dart in for a lightning strike on Deinosuchus.
However, Deinosuchus' tough hide would have been difficult for Megalodon to get through
and deliver some truly fatal bites. If Deinosuchus managed to swing its big jaws around and catch
a grip of Megalodon, you could expect it to immediately launch into a death roll,
ripping and tearing large chunks of flesh out of Megalodon and causing lots of bleeding.
However, once more, Megalodon's size advantage is its best asset, as the sheer body mass of
Megalodon makes it very unlikely Deinosuchus could rip enough flesh free to actually cause serious
bodily damage and bleeding. Given that Deinosuchus likely drowned its prey, the animal isn't actually
well suited for a protracted engagement of teeth and bites, while Megalodon can use the deep water
the two must fight in to its advantage and carry out a series of lightning strikes.
In the end, we think the answer is clear- Megalodon would indeed have triumphed in a one
on one match against Deinosuchus. The very basic physical requirements of the battle arena mean
that Deinosuchus is denied every advantage, and the massive size of the biggest shark to ever live
makes it an unstoppable killing machine that even the largest crocodile in prehistory can't stop.
Now go check out crocodile vs great white shark,
who would actually win? Or click this other video instead!