Think Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate predator? Think again.
Carcharocles megalodon, a.k.a. Megalodon, was "probably the apex predator of all time," according to paleontologist Chuck Ciampaglio. The Wright State University professor spoke to the Discovery Channel recently about Megalodon, a long-extinct prehistoric shark whose name literally translates as "big tooth."
In the video, Ciampaglio shows the Sharktooth Hill formation in Bakersfield, Calif., which would have been Megalodon's hunting ground more than 2 million years ago. Ciampaglio likens the area to Chesapeake Bay -- full of sharks, marine mammals and fish. However, unlike the Maryland-Virginia bay, the shallow sea was home to much larger predators.
Not much is known about the 50-plus-foot shark that once ruled the seas for 25 million years, as just about all that remains of it are its fossilized 7-inch-teeth. But paleontologists are convinced Megalodon would have been above the T. rex on the food chain.
"T. rex wouldn't have a chance against this thing," Ciampaglio told the Discovery Channel. "T. rex's head would fit in this guy's mouth."
Hear what else Ciampaglio said about Megalodon in the video above and see more photos of (living) sharks in the gallery below.
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