Otodus (Megaselachus)

Höltke, Olaf, Salvador, Rodrigo B. & Rasser, Michael W., 2023, Trophic relationships in the Early Miocene Upper Marine Molasse of Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany, with special emphasis on the elasmobranch fauna, Palaeontologia Electronica (a 46) 26 (3), pp. 1-38 : 34

Otodus (Megaselachus) sp.

Tooth type: Cutting.

Both the genus and the subgenus are extinct, but its species are thought to have inhabited the neritic realm of warm-temperate to tropical oceans worldwide, feeding on marine mammals (Purdy, 1996). Collareta et al. (2017a) proposed that C. megalodon was an apex predator whose trophic spectrum was still focused on small-sized baleen whales. They may also have fed on other sharks and rays, similar to recent Carcharodon carcharias . According to Kast et al. (2022) teeth of Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon are characterized by a broad range of δ 15 N values, which could be explained by the individuals feeding across many prey types and different trophic levels. Also, according to those authors, teeth of O. (Megaselachus) chubutensis and O. (Megaselachus) megalodon display similar isotope signatures. In the OMM, Otodus (Megaselachus) sp. did likely feed at the highest trophic levels.