World's biggest shark the Megalodon was THREE times size of Great White - so what killed it off?

World's biggest shark the Megalodon was THREE times size of Great White - so what killed it off?

The monstrous beast had a set of 6-inch, razor sharp teeth and fed on whales.

Believed to be 60ft in length, the megalodon was the biggest shark ever to roam our oceans.

It fed on whales with terrifying, razor-sharp teeth which measured six inches.

At three times the size of the Great White shark, no predator of the sea could match it.

Megalodon was wiped out along with a third of all marine mammals (Photo: Spotty11222)

It turns out the megalodon was not the only creature to disappear during a period known as the Pliocene Epoch.

In fact, a third of the ocean's largest marine animals including sharks, whales, sea birds and sea turtles died out during this time.

The scientists now believe they have identified a previously unknown "extinction event".

The international team investigated fossils of marine megafauna from the Pliocene and the Pleistocene epochs (5.3 million to around 9,700 years BC).

"We were able to show that around a third of marine megafauna disappeared about three to two million years ago," said lead author Dr. Catalina Pimiento.

were lost, along with 35 per cent of sea birds and 9 per cent of sharks.

Exactly what caused it is not known.

Dr Pimiento said it may have been to do with rapidly-forming glaciers at the time which altered sea levels dramatically.

She told The Times: "We had a suspicion that sea level had something to do with it.

"We calculated how this affected coastal habitats.

"Coastal areas declined rapidly, and oscillated.

"This affected all the big animals."

It is hoped the research will help marine biologists understand the threats faced by today's biggest animals.

"Our models have demonstrated that warm-blooded animals in particular were more likely to become extinct," said Dr Pimiento.

"For example, species of sea cows and baleen whales, as well as the giant shark megalodon disappeared.

"This study shows that marine megafauna were far more vulnerable to global environmental changes in the recent geological past than had previously been assumed."