The fearsome megalodons were giant sharks that dominated Earth's oceans millions of years ago.. Despite an ingrained fearsome reputation, the ancient predator has left few traces of its existence, according to Science Alert..

In a new study, scientists conducted 3D modeling, which made it possible to restore the appearance of an ancient fish from its fossils. As a result, they found that megalodons could move at a speed that significantly exceeds the speed of all currently existing sharks..

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Moreover, megalodons were so huge that they could eat the largest modern predators in just a couple of bites.. This list includes both eight-meter killer whales and white sharks.. In fact, a megalodon could easily swallow a great white shark whole..

Scientists' discovery suggests that megalodons were the most powerful prehistoric predators. It may also reveal more about the role these fish played in Earth's ancient ecosystem..

“Taken together, our results show that O. megalodon played an important ecological role as a transoceanic superpredator. Therefore, its extinction likely had a major impact on global nutrient transport and food webs,"

Scientists believe that megalodons appeared about 23 million years ago and disappeared about 3.6 million years ago.. What caused their extinction is still unknown.. At the moment, scientists can accurately determine only the size of megalodons.. This is done on the basis of fossils strong enough to stand the test of time..

Teeth are not the only part of these creatures strong enough to lie in the rock for millions of years.. In the 1860s, researchers managed to discover something extraordinary - an almost perfectly preserved spine of this giant fish..

Modern sharks can take on many shapes and sizes.. It is believed that megalodons were most similar to white sharks, although they belonged to different families.. However, the catch is that no one really knows what megalodons looked like.. But, based on the spine, scientists were able to recreate the most accurate, from their point of view, the appearance of an ancient predator..

As a result, they found that the cruising speed of the megalodon was five kilometers per hour (for the white shark - three kilometers per hour). The Belgian megalodon, whose spine formed the basis of the model, was probably about 16 meters long.; other vertebrae suggest that it could have grown up to 20 meters in length.

According to the team's model, the Belgian megalodon's mouth could open up to 1.8 meters, and its stomach volume was about 9.6 cubic meters.. Based on this, the team concluded that a prey animal about eight meters long - about the size of an adult killer whale - could be completely eaten by a megalodon in just five bites..

Calories received after such a meal, the ancient shark would be enough for two months. This is similar to the behavior of great white sharks, which may not hunt for a month or two if they eat something large enough..