TABLE 1. Specimen data for fossil material included in this study.
| Specimen ID | Location | Lithostratigraphy | Geologic Age | Nature of Specimen |
| Otodus megalodon | ||||
| UF-VP-311000 | North Carolina, USA | Yorktown Fm | Pliocene | 37 associated teeth |
| GHC 1 | Atacama Desert, Chile | Bahía Inglesa Fm | Miocene | 92 associated teeth |
| CH-31-46P | Florida, USA | Bone Valley Fm | Miocene | 95 associated teeth |
| UF-VP-460000 | Atacama Desert, Chile | Bahía Inglesa Fm | Miocene | 43 associated teeth |
| GHC 6 | South Carolina, USA | Hawthorn Group | Miocene | 1 isolated tooth |
| Otodus chubutensis | ||||
| USNM 411881 | North Carolina, USA | Pungo River Fm | Miocene | 106 associated teeth |
| USNM 299832 | North Carolina, USA | Pungo River Fm | Miocene | 32 associated teeth |
| GHC 3 | Ica, Peru | Caballos Fm | Miocene | 65 associated teeth |
| UF-VP-312864 | Ica, Peru | Caballos Fm | Miocene | 53 associated teeth |
| Carcharodon carcharias | ||||
| GHC 4 | Sacaco, Peru | Pisco Fm | Mio-Pliocene | 65 associated teeth |
| Carcharodon hubbelli | ||||
| UF-VP-226255 | Sacaco, Peru | Pisco Fm | Miocene | Articulated skeleton: 222 teeth, 45 centra |
| Carcharodon hastalis | ||||
| GHC 5 | Sacaco, Peru | Pisco Fm | Mio-Pliocene | 165 associated teeth |
TABLE 2. Specimen data for 19 modern dentitions. SCW = summed crown width. TL = total body length. Measurements are separated for the different regions preserved: upper left (UL), upper right (UR), lower left (LL), and lower right (LR).
| Specimen ID | Location | Sex | SCW (mm) | TL (cm) | |||
| UL | UR | LL | LR | ||||
| Carcharodon carcharias | |||||||
| SOP020105018.011 | Unknown | M | 152.99 | - | 98.39 | - | 237 |
| F7687 | Albany, Australia | F | 319.99 | - | 195.3 | - | 518 |
| C41185 | Ponce de Leon Inlet, FL | F | 191.21 | 195.1 | 131.95 | 129.11 | 281 |
| R92185 | Pointe Vicente, CA | F | 370.35 | 355.8 | 224.9 | 234.85 | 536 |
| L11685 | Anacapa Island, CA | F | 361.34 | 363.78 | 231.5 | 231.46 | 563 |
| SP1394 | St. Petersburg, FL | M | 337.47 | 344.3 | 223.96 | 226.9 | 474 |
| F102281 | Albany, Australia | F | 152.48 | 170.82 | 107.27 | 109.77 | 244 |
| Car206 | Los Angeles, CA | M | 84.66 | 79.94 | 55.99 | 55.27 | 124 |
| RC112885 | Los Angeles, CA | F | 115.04 | 113.89 | 82.23 | 79.68 | 170 |
| H5384 | Ledge Point, Australia | F | 323.76 | 320.52 | 193.48 | 197.19 | 594 |
| H10886 | Key Largo, FL | M | 274.32 | 277.66 | 186.02 | 183.56 | 503 |
| Hubbell (1996, fig. 2) | Unknown | M | - | 291.72 | - | 190.45 | 440 |
| Hubbell (1996, fig. 4) | Unknown | ? | - | 218.35 | - | 136.67 | 366 |
| Hubbell (1996, fig. 5) | Unknown | F | - | 316.509 | - | 191.89 | 518 |
| Hubbell (1996, fig. 6) | Unknown | M | - | 298.15 | - | 182.83 | 488 |
| H8993 | Bunbury, Australia | M | - | 311.73 | - | 189.36 | 518 |
| GHC 7 | Unknown | M | - | 314.78 | - | 195.92 | 520 |
| Isurus oxyrinchus | |||||||
| GHC 8 | San Nicol’s Island, CA | F | 187.24 | 182.11 | 155.15 | 157.7 | 320 |
| Isurus paucus | |||||||
| GHC 9 | Pompano Beach, FL | F | 238.48 | 249.82 | 215.9 | 207.32 | 488 |
TABLE 3. Body length estimates from 11 fossil dentitions of Otodus and Carcharodon. Summed crown width measured (SCWms) and corrected (SCWc), and total body length (TL). * denotes the best estimate. UL = upper left, UR = upper right, LL = lower left, and LR = lower right.
| Catalog # | Position | SCWms (mm) |
SCWc (mm) |
TL Range (m) |
TL Mean (m) |
||
| Otodus megalodon | |||||||
| GHC 6 | L1-L2 | 133 | 1266.7 - 1303.9 | 17.4 - 24.2 | *20.3 | ||
| UF-VP-311000 | UL | 1055.5 | 1093.7 | 15.1 - 20.3 | *17.3 | ||
| LL | 852.4 | 852.4 | 17.6 - 26.2 | 20.8 | |||
| GHC 1 | UL | 951.5 | 1095.0 | 15.1 - 20.3 | *17.3 | ||
| UR | 947.3 | 1122.4 | 15.5 - 20.8 | 17.7 | |||
| LL | 689.0 | 811.5 | 16.8 - 24.9 | 19.8 | |||
| LR | 550.4 | 781.8 | 16.2 - 24.0 | 19.1 | |||
| CH-31-46P | UL | 783.5 | 783.5 | 10.8 - 14.5 | *12.4 | ||
| UR | 739.5 | 790.9 | 10.9 - 14.7 | 12.5 | |||
| LL | 612.2 | 612.2 | 12.7 - 18.8 | 15.0 | |||
| LR | 579.2 | 611.6 | 12.6 - 18.8 | 14.9 | |||
| UF-VP-460000 | UL | 519.6 | 681.9 | 9.4 - 12.6 | 10.8 | ||
| UR | 533.5 | 685.7 | 9.4 - 12.7 | *10.9 | |||
| LL | 400.7 | 540.8 | 11.2 - 16.6 | 13.2 | |||
| LR | 404.8 | 546.3 | 11.3 - 16.8 | 13.3 | |||
| Otodus chubutensis | |||||||
| USNM 299832 | UL | 215.4 | 679.5 | 9.4 - 12.6 | 10.7 | ||
| UR | 576.3 | 696.9 | 9.6 - 12.9 | *11.0 | |||
| LR | 400.4 | 530.3 | 11.0 - 16.3 | 13.0 | |||
| GHC 3 | UL | 60.1 | 707.1 | 9.7 - 13.1 | 11.2 | ||
| UR | 668.6 | 690.7 | 9.5 - 12.8 | *10.9 | |||
| LL | 379.2 | 497.0 | 10.3 - 15.3 | 12.1 | |||
| LR | 542.7 | 542.7 | 11.2 - 16.7 | 13.3 | |||
| USNM 411881 | UL | 491.5 | 569.5 | 7.8 - 10.6 | *9.0 | ||
| UR | 482.7 | 546.7 | 7.5 - 10.1 | 8.6 | |||
| LL | 389.3 | 453.2 | 9.4 - 13.9 | 11.1 | |||
| LR | 300.4 | 429.1 | 8.9 - 13.2 | 10.5 | |||
| UF-VP-312864 | UL | 357.9 | 376.3 | 5.2 - 7.0 | *5.9 | ||
| UR | 269.1 | 379.5 | 5.2 - 7.0 | 6.0 | |||
| LL | 299.0 | 336.0 | 6.9 - 10.3 | 8.2 | |||
| LR | 174.3 | 305.3 | 6.3 - 9.4 | 7.5 | |||
| Carcharodon hastalis | |||||||
| GHC 5 | UL | 301.2 | 336.5 | 4.6 - 6.2 | 5.3 | ||
| UR | 322.9 | 331.5 | 4.6 - 6.1 | *5.2 | |||
| LL | 232.1 | 253.9 | 5.2 - 7.8 | 6.2 | |||
| LR | 219.2 | 223.0 | 4.5 - 6.9 | 5.4 | |||
| Carcharodon hubbelli | |||||||
| UF-VP-226255 | UL | 291.4 | 299.2 | 4.1 - 5.5 | 4.7 | ||
| UR | 313.0 | 313.0 | 4.3 - 5.8 | *4.9 | |||
| LL | 225.4 | 229.3 | 4.7 - 7.0 | 5.6 | |||
| LR | 189.2 | 220.3 | 4.5 - 6.8 | 5.4 | |||
| Carcharodon carcharias | |||||||
| GHC 4 | UL | 191.6 | 256.1 | 3.5 - 4.8 | 4.0 | ||
| UR | 249.7 | 256.4 | 3.5 - 4.8 | *4.0 | |||
| LL | 88.4 | 187.3 | 3.9 - 5.8 | 4.6 | |||
| LR | 178.5 | 195.3 | 4.0 - 6.0 | 4.8 | |||
TABLE 4. Comparison of different methods for estimating body length: Shimada (2002a), Shimada (2019), and this study. All estimates are in meters. * denotes the best estimate. UL = upper left, UR = upper right, LL = lower left, and LR = lower right.
| Catalog # | Tooth Position | Shimada (2002a) | Shimada (2019) |
SCW (Range) |
SCW (Mean) |
SCW (Linear Fn) |
SCW (Power Fn) |
||
| Otodus megalodon | |||||||||
| GHC 6 | L1-L2 | 16.4 - 17.4 | - | 17.4 - 24.2 | *20.3 | *20.1 | 21.6 | ||
| UF-VP-311000 | UL | 11.4 - 31.6 | 12.0 | 15.1 - 20.3 | *17.3 | *17.3 | 18.5 | ||
| LL | 11.6 - 41.1 | 10.3 | 17.6 - 26.2 | 20.8 | 21.6 | 24.8 | |||
| GHC 1 | UL | 12.5 - 38.1 | 12.3 | 15.1 - 20.3 | *17.3 | *17.4 | 18.5 | ||
| UR | 13.1 - 30.0 | 12.8 | 15.5 - 20.8 | 17.7 | 17.8 | 19.0 | |||
| LL | 13.1 - 65.1 | 10.7 | 16.8 - 24.9 | 19.8 | 20.6 | 23.5 | |||
| LR | 12.3 - 29.1 | 10.5 | 16.2 - 24.0 | 19.1 | 19.8 | 22.5 | |||
| CH-31-46P | UL | 9.3 - 19.8 | 9.3 | 10.8 - 14.5 | *12.4 | *12.4 | 13.0 | ||
| UR | 9.1 - 20.2 | 9.3 | 10.9 - 14.7 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 13.1 | |||
| LL | 9.8 - 31.8 | 8.7 | 12.7 - 18.8 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 17.2 | |||
| LR | 10.0 - 32.6 | 8.7 | 12.6 - 18.8 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 17.1 | |||
| UF-VP-460000 | UL | 9.3 - 19.4 | 9.7 | 9.4 - 12.6 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 11.2 | ||
| UR | 9.2 - 21.8 | 9.3 | 9.4 - 12.7 | *10.9 | *10.9 | 11.3 | |||
| LL | 9.3 - 16.7 | 8.3 | 11.2 - 16.6 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 14.9 | |||
| LR | 9.8 - 16.6 | 8.6 | 11.3 - 16.8 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 15.1 | |||
| Otodus chubutensis | |||||||||
| USNM 299832 | UL | 7.7 - 10.0 | - | 9.4 - 12.6 | 10.7 | 10.8 | 11.2 | ||
| UR | 7.5 - 19.4 | - | 9.6 - 12.9 | *11.0 | *11.0 | 11.5 | |||
| LR | 8.4 - 15.7 | 7.6 | 11.0 - 16.3 | 13.0 | 13.4 | 14.6 | |||
| GHC 3 | UL | - | - | 9.7 - 13.1 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.7 | ||
| UR | 7.3 - 16.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 - 12.8 | *10.9 | *10.9 | 11.3 | |||
| LL | 8.1 - 23.7 | - | 10.3 - 15.3 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 13.6 | |||
| LR | 7.9 - 29.8 | 7.3 | 11.2 - 16.7 | 13.3 | 13.7 | 15.0 | |||
| USNM 411881 | UL | 5.5 - 13.9 | 5.9 | 7.8 - 10.6 | *9.0 | *9.0 | 9.3 | ||
| UR | 5.3 - 14.9 | 6.0 | 7.5 - 10.1 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.9 | |||
| LL | 6.3 - 31.8 | 6.1 | 9.4 - 13.9 | 11.1 | 11.4 | 12.3 | |||
| LR | 6.1 - 26.5 | 5.9 | 8.9 - 13.2 | 10.5 | 10.8 | 11.6 | |||
| UF-VP-312864 | UL | 4.1 - 14.2 | 4.3 | 5.2 - 7.0 | *5.9 | *5.9 | 6.0 | ||
| UR | 4.4 - 10.8 | 4.5 | 5.2 - 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | |||
| LL | 5.1 - 31.3 | 5.2 | 6.9 - 10.3 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.8 | |||
| LR | 5.6 - 24.1 | - | 6.3 - 9.4 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.9 | |||
| Carcharodon hastalis | |||||||||
| GHC 5 | UL | 4.5 - 5.6 | 5.6 | 4.6 - 6.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | ||
| UR | 4.0 - 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.6 - 6.1 | *5.2 | *5.2 | 5.2 | |||
| LL | 4.6 - 8.5 | 5.9 | 5.2 - 7.8 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.4 | |||
| LR | 3.4 - 6.1 | 5.5 | 4.5 - 6.9 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | |||
| Carcharodon hubbelli | |||||||||
| UF-VP-226255 | UL | 4.4 - 7.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 - 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | ||
| UR | 3.3 - 6.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 - 5.8 | *4.9 | *4.9 | 4.9 | |||
| LL | 4.3 - 7.0 | 4.3 | 4.7 - 7.0 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.8 | |||
| LR | 4.3 - 5.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 - 6.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | |||
| Carcharodon carcharias | |||||||||
| GHC 4 | UL | 3.0 - 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.5 - 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | ||
| UR | 3.1 - 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 - 4.8 | *4.0 | *4.0 | 4.0 | |||
| LL | 4.0 - 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 - 5.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | |||
| LR | 3.9 - 6.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 - 6.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | |||
