Overview
- Researchers publicly reported Sunday that long-misplaced vertebrae from the Gram Formation were found in museum boxes and reexamined, restoring crucial material to science.
- One preserved vertebra measures about 23 centimeters in diameter and supports a 2025 model that estimated the Danish individual could have reached roughly 24.3 meters (79.7 feet).
- High-resolution micro-CT imaging revealed at least 64 growth bands in the vertebra, implying the shark was at least 64 years old and could have had a theoretical lifespan near 96 years.
- Sediment adhered to the bones contains tiny scales and gill structures from a basking shark that the team proposes may represent Megalodon stomach contents, a claim the authors say is intriguing but still developing.
- Scientists caution that maximum-size and ecological conclusions remain provisional because shark skeletons are mostly cartilage, the original specimen lost many elements over time, and size estimates rely on comparative scaling from other specimens and models.