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Megalodon, the largest shark ever, may have been a long, slender giant

Normally imagined chunky like modern great whites, megalodon may have been a very different beast

Illustration of an ancient megalodon shark next to the significantly smaller modern great white shark

Reconstructions of Otodus megalodon’s appearance in life (bigger shark) have commonly relied on great white sharks (smaller shark) as a model. But the giant shark may have been shaped quite differently.

WARPAINTCOBRA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

By Jake Buehler

The largest shark discovered to date — the monstrous Otodus megalodon — may have been a sleek, long-bodied leviathan.