The Megalodon, A Prehistoric Giant Shark That Ruled the Seven Seas

Four centuries, legends of sea monsters have ignited our imaginations. And fossil records tell the story of a prehistoric shark so massive that it would one day become the subject of a Jason Statham movie. Today we're talking about Megalodon, the giant prehistoric shark that ruled the Seven Seas. But before we get started, make sure to subscribe to the Weird History Channel. After that we'd be much obliged if you leave a comment letting us know what other prehistoric topics you would like to hear about next.

四个世纪以来，海怪的传说一直点燃着我们的想象力。化石记录讲述了一只史前巨鲨的故事，它是如此庞大，以至于有一天会成为杰森·斯坦森电影的主题。今天我们要谈论的是猛犸鲨，这种巨大的史前鲨鱼统治着七海。但在开始之前，请务必订阅Weird History频道。在此之后，如果您留下评论告诉我们您想听下一个关于哪些史前主题，我们将不胜感激。

Okay, you're gonna need a bigger boat, like much bigger. Today most sharks vary in size, like boxers. Some are 5 to 7 feet long. Hammerheads can get up to 20 feet. The great white shark averages 11 to 16 feet, with females growing longer than males, but can grow much larger. And there are hundreds of species that can only grow to around 39 inches or less. Is it even really a shark at that point? It feels like it should at least be big enough to eat something that would get it on the news.

好的，你需要一艘更大的船，比现在的要大得多。如今，大多数鲨鱼的大小都有所不同，就像拳击手一样。有些只有5到7英尺长，锤头鲨最大可以长到20英尺。大白鲨平均长度为11到16英尺，雌性比雄性更长，但也可以长得更大。此外，还有数百种鲨鱼只能长到约39英寸或更小。这到底算不算鲨鱼？感觉它至少得够大，才能吃到会上新闻的东西。

But in prehistoric times, everything was pretty supersized. During its time as an apex predator, the Megalodon reached lengths of 60 feet or more. For comparison, the biggest great white shark is the same length as its ancient ancestors reproductive organ. Not even the mighty great white can recover from that comparison. But size isn't the only thing that mattered. You've probably heard Taranosaurus Rex described as the king of the dinosaurs. Well, the Megalodon was king of the seas, like Poseidon. And if Poseidon were a giant meat torpedo with 7-inch teeth.

在史前时期，一切都相当神奇。在成为顶级掠食者期间，巨齿鲨的长度达到60英尺甚至更长。相比之下，最大的大白鲨和它的古代祖先的生殖器一样长。即使是强大的大白鲨也无法与之相比。但尺寸并不是唯一重要的因素。你可能听说过霸王龙是恐龙之王。那么，巨齿鲨就像波塞冬一样成为海洋之王。如果波塞冬是一艘巨大的肉鱼雷，带有7英寸长的尖牙。

According to studies performed by Steven Row of the University of New South Wales in Australia, the Megalodon's jaws created a maximum 4,000 pounds of bite-force pressure. That's strong enough to smash a car like a junkyard crusher. Luckily, the Megalodon went extinct. Well, sweet of mine, I'll have to stop driving our cars through the ocean.

根据澳大利亚新南威尔士大学的Steven Row所做的研究，巨齿鲨的下颚最大咬合力为4,000磅。这足以像废品场的压碎机一样粉碎一辆汽车。幸运的是，巨齿鲨已经灭绝了。好啊，亲爱的，我得停止把我们的汽车开到海里去了。

For another comparison, picture any scene from your favorite shark movie? Jaws 2, Jaws 3D, etc. etc. were the shark bites someone. Now imagine that same bite is 10 times more powerful. That is the force of a Megalodon's bite. And also, you would not have been allowed to see that movie. Not even whales are safe from the Megalodon's devastating jaws. Fassal record show Megalodon bite marks on Balene Whales from the time period, which just goes to show no creature great or small was off the menu.

再举个比较，想象一下你最喜欢的鲨鱼电影场景。比如《大白鲨2》、《大白鲨3D》等等，其中鲨鱼会咬人的场景。现在，把那个咬人的力量变强10倍，那就是巨齿鲨的咬合力了。此外，就算是鲸鱼也无法逃脱巨齿鲨可怕的嘴巴。历史记录显示，巨齿鲨曾经咬过鲸鱼，这说明任何大小的生物都可能成为它的猎物。如果当时有拍摄这种场景的电影，你可能都不被允许观看。

Comparing the Megalodon on the great white shark seems like it would make sense. They've both had a number of movies made about them. But in reality, the modern great white probably didn't evolve from its giant prehistoric cousin. While their teeth are similarly shaped, the two sharks are entirely different species. In fact, great whites are more closely related to mecho sharks. As for the Megalodon, it could have been related to a different super sized shark, Ototus, which lived 45 to 60 million years ago. Some scientists believe Ototus eventually evolved into the Megalodon based on some dental similarities. Ototus's serrated teeth could very well have been the predecessors of the Megalodon's flesh-ripping chompers. They also likely had the same diet of large marine life during their time in the ocean, including Balene Whales. When you're a giant prehistoric shark, there's nothing that's not on the menu.

将巨齿鲨与大白鲨进行比较似乎是有意义的，因为它们都有许多电影以它们为主题。但实际上，现代的大白鲨可能并不是从其巨大的史前堂兄弟演化而来。虽然它们的牙齿形状相似，但这两种鲨鱼是完全不同的物种。事实上，大白鲨更接近机械鲨鱼。至于巨齿鲨，它可能与生活在4500万至6000万年前的另一种超大型鲨鱼Ototus有关。一些科学家认为，基于一些牙齿方面的相似之处，Ototus最终演变成了巨齿鲨。Ototus的锯齿状牙齿很可能成为了巨齿鲨撕裂食肉者的前身。它们在海洋中的食谱也很可能相同，包括鲸鱼。当你是一只巨大的史前鲨鱼时，没有什么是不在菜单里的。

In pop culture, great white sharks are often portrayed as vicious hunters, but that isn't really the case. They're ambush predators, striking prey from underneath and quickly pulling it underwater. And while they certainly pursue their favorite prey with gusto, the sharks almost never attack humans. Humans are far too high in muscle and low-infat as satiate a great white. It's like stopping to pick up a half-eaten sandwich from the sidewalk. It'll do in a pinch, but it's not what you left the house for. However, it's theorized that Megalodon was much more aggressive. Scientists believe that this prehistoric shark used to systematically disable its prey, biting off the fins and tails of whales before devouring them. It likely also attacked from below, but rather than pulling prey under, the Megalodon would have simply torn open its underside and feasted on succulent meat. Eesh.

在流行文化中，人们经常把大白鲨描绘成可怕的猎手，但实际情况并非如此。它们是伏击猎物者，从下方袭击猎物，迅速将其拉到水下。尽管它们毫不犹豫地追逐它们最喜欢的猎物，但鲨鱼几乎从不攻击人类。人类的肌肉含量太高，脂肪含量太低，不能满足大白鲨的需求。这就像在人行道上停下来捡起一个半吃的三明治。在紧急情况下可以用，但这不是你离开家的目的。然而，理论上巨齿鲨更具攻击性。科学家们认为，这种史前鲨鱼过去曾系统地削弱其猎物，咬下鲸鱼的鳍和尾部，然后将其吞食。它可能也会从下方袭击，但与其将猎物拉入水中不同，巨齿鲨只会撕开猎物的下方并享受美味的肉。噫。

Although the Megalodon had seven-inch long teeth and a fearsome bite, it did lack one thing, a strong skeleton. Should I add a few glasses of milk in between whales, buddy? Most shark skeletons have a ton of cartilage in them. Unfortunately, the flexible connective tissue effectively disintegrates after the animal dies, so that means the Megalodon's fossil record isn't exactly complete. Most of what we know about the shark comes from its teeth. The size and characteristics of the Megalodon's pearly whites led scientists to believe the shark had a large jaw. But fossilized teeth are not a yearbook photo.

尽管巨齿鲨有七英寸长的牙齿和可怕的咬力，但它缺乏一件事，那就是强壮的骨骼。伙计，我要在鲸鱼之间加点牛奶吗？大多数鲨鱼的骨骼中含有大量的软骨。不幸的是，这种柔韧的结缔组织会在动物死亡后有效地分解，这意味着巨齿鲨的化石记录并不完整。我们对这种鲨鱼的了解大多来自于它的牙齿。巨齿鲨的珍珠般的大牙的大小和特点让科学家相信它有一个大嘴。但是化石化的牙齿并不像年鉴照片那样。

As of 2022, a study published in historical biology confirmed, scientists are still trying to find proof of what the Megalodon actually looked like. As one of the researchers noted, the reality is there are presently no scientific means to support or refute the accuracy of any of the previously published body forms of otototus Megalodon. So, until we find more scientific evidence of its appearance or someone in events-a-time machine, we'll probably never know what Megalodon truly looked like. For all we know, it had amullet.

截至2022年，《历史生物学》发表的一份研究证实，科学家们仍在努力寻找巨齿鲨的真实形态证据。正如一位研究者所指出的，现实是目前没有科学手段来支持或反驳先前发表的otototus巨齿鲨身体形态的准确性。因此，除非我们找到更多的科学证据证明其外貌，或者有人发明时光机，否则我们可能永远不会真正了解巨齿鲨的真实面貌。对于我们所知道的，它可能有马尾。

Humans have been long fascinated by Megalodon's deadly jaws. So much, so, that a bunch of dudes famously posed for a picture with a set of Megalodon chompers back in black and white times. But when people first discovered the beast's teeth, they believed the massive fossils to be fallen moon rocks. Apparently they thought the moon just shits those things, and uh, that the moon has teeth. Other cultures thought they might be the hardened tongues of ancient dragons or humongous snakes. In 1666, a scientist compared the large fossils to contemporary shark teeth and realized that the mysterious bones were the remnants of a massive shark.

人类长期以来一直对巨齿鲨的致命下颚感到着迷。这件事已经出名了，一群人就在黑白年代摆姿势与巨齿鲨的大牙拍照片。但当人们第一次发现这种巨兽的牙齿时，他们认为这些巨大化石是掉落的月球岩石。显然，他们认为月亮就是负责散布这些东西，而且，怎么说呢，月亮还有牙齿。其他文化认为那可能是古龙或巨蛇的硬化舌头。1666年一位科学家将这些大块化石与当代鲨鱼牙齿进行比较，发现这些神秘的骨骼是巨大鲨鱼的残骸。

The dentists are particularly scarce either. They keep popping up all over the globe. Italy and Croatia are home to several of the fossils. A man named Judd Keeling of Suffolk, Virginia, found over 280 Meg teeth. And in 2017, a young boy found a 5-inch long tooth while vacationing with his family in Myrtle Beach, presumably frustrating all those old guys with metal detectors.

牙医也非常稀缺，他们在全球不断涌现。意大利和克罗地亚是许多化石的家园。弗吉尼亚的萨福克市的朱德·基林找到了超过280颗巨齿鲨牙齿。2017年，一名年轻男孩在和家人度假时在莫特尔海滩发现了一颗5英寸长的牙齿，这很可能使那些用金属探测器的老人感到沮丧。

Some sharks prefer swimming in shallow, prey-filled waters. Others prefer the deeper ocean. Given its size, you might expect the Megalodon to have patrolled the open water for its food. But scientists believe the Megalodon might have actually lived in warm, shallow waters instead of the cold depths of the sea. The warm waters of the coast of Panama was likely a home for these prehistoric predators. Based on the number of smaller teeth collected in this area, baby Megalodons were likely raised there. Maybe they just really dug that Van Halen song. Fortunately, the preference for warm water might have contributed to their extinction. When the water grew colder, the shark would have been unable to stand at temperature drop.

有些鲨鱼喜欢在浅水中捕食，而另一些则喜欢更深的海洋。考虑到它的体型，你可能会认为巨齿鲨需要在开阔水域中觅食。但科学家们认为，巨齿鲨实际上可能生活在温暖的浅水中，而不是海洋的深处。巴拿马海岸的温暖水域可能是这些史前掠食者的家园。基于在该地区收集到的较小的牙齿数量，幼年的巨齿鲨可能在那里生长。也许它们只是真的喜欢那首凡·海伦的歌。幸运的是，喜欢温水可能有助于它们的灭绝。当海水变冷时，鲨鱼就无法忍受温度的下降。

It's also possible that prey moved on as the waters grew colder. But the actual reason behind Megalodon's demise remains a mystery. Speaking of the Megalodon's prey, you might be surprised or repulsed at what they ate. Since fossil records show the Megalodon when extinct approximately 2.6 million years ago, scientists can use that knowledge to figure out what other animals were alive at the time. And that can tell us more about their diets. The big sharks likely faced fierce competition from giant sperm whales that weighed 50 tons and were approximately the same length. The two animals would have fed on the same prey. The measurement they probably got into more than one turf war. What kind of prey? Well, as we mentioned earlier, whales were definitely on the menu, as well as turtles and seals. Yeah, seems like we'd have to swallow a bunch of seals before it felt full, like eating a sleeve of rice cakes. But luckily, there was plenty of fresh seafood for Megalodon to sink its teeth into in those ancient seas.

鲨鱼王的消亡原因至今仍是一个谜。也可能是由于水温变冷，猎物迁移了。谈及到鲨鱼王的猎物，你可能感到惊讶或反感它们的食物。由于化石记录显示鲨鱼王在大约260万年前灭绝，科学家可以利用这一知识来推测当时其他生物的种类，并通过这些了解它们的饮食。这些大型鲨鱼可能面临着巨大的竞争，来自50吨重、大约相同长度的巨型抹香鲸的竞争。这两种动物会以相同的猎物为食。它们很可能会在猎物方面发生冲突。什么样的猎物呢？嗯，正如我们前面提到的，鲸鱼肯定在菜单上，还有海龟和海豹。是的，似乎我们得吞下一堆海豹才能感觉饱，就像吃一袋米饼一样。但幸运的是，在那些古老的海洋中，鲨鱼王还有大量新鲜的海鲜可以咬。

Although the Megalodon died out millions of years ago, that hasn't stopped people from believing it still exists today. Everyone loves shark week. The annual block of documentary content airing every summer on the Discovery Channel has been taking shark enthusiasts everywhere on a journey to the depths of the ocean since 1988. In 2013, Discovery Channel launched Shark Week with a faux documentary program called Megalodon, the Monster Shark Lives, featuring actors playing scientists discussing an ongoing hunt to capture the titular monster. However, there wasn't any indication that the show was a work of fiction. Megalodon seems like that's a thing the Discovery Channel should let you know. And while the program generated plenty of backlash, that didn't stop them from creating more documentaries on the subject. And videos purporting to be footage of the Megalodon went viral in both 2008 and 2016, only later to be debunked as images of a sleeper shark.

尽管巨齿鲨已经在几百万年前灭绝了，但人们仍然相信它今天仍然存在。每个人都喜欢鲨鱼周。自1988年以来，每个夏天在Discovery Channel上播出的一系列纪录片内容已经将鲨鱼爱好者带到了海洋的深处。2013年，Discovery Channel 推出了一档伪纪录片节目——《巨齿鲨，怪物鲨鱼之生》，其中演员扮演科学家讨论捕获标题怪物的持续猎犬。然而，没有任何迹象表明节目是虚构的。像巨齿鲨这样的东西似乎是Discovery Channel应该让你知道的。尽管该节目引发了大量的抨击，但这并没有阻止他们在这个主题上制作更多的纪录片。在2008年和2016年，冒充巨齿鲨场景的视频在网络上迅速传播，但后来被证实是一种睡鲨的影像。

But science tells us that the Megalodon is long extinct and isn't coming back anytime soon. No teeth, newer than 2.6 million years old, have ever been found, and the ecological world would notice if a massive apex predator suddenly started eating a bunch of whales. The shark's sheer size and its gargantuan eating habits couldn't be kept a secret in the modern world, especially since Megalodon preferred to stay in warm, shallow water rather than the deep ocean, where it would be much more difficult to find a reliable food source. If any of these things were still around, they'd have shown up in the background of somebody's TikTok by now, unless they already have. And we just haven't noticed.

科学告诉我们，巨齿鲨早已灭绝，不可能在短时间内回归。迄今为止，人们没有发现任何年龄晚于260万年的牙齿，而如果一个巨型顶级掠食者突然开始吞食一堆鲸鱼，生态世界肯定会注意到。由于巨齿鲨更喜欢待在温暖而浅的水域，而不是深海，它的庞大体型和大量进食习惯不可能在现代社会保持秘密，因为在深海中寻找可靠的食物来源更加困难。如果任何这些东西仍然存在，它们早就出现在某个人的TikTok视频中了，除非这些视频已经存在了，我们只是没有注意到。

Paragraph 1: So some of these other videos from our Weird History.

因此，我们的“奇怪历史”频道还有一些其他的视频。

(Note: This sentence does not provide much context, but it seems to be the beginning of a new section or topic. Therefore, I'm starting with this sentence as the first paragraph.)

这句话并未提供太多背景信息，但似乎是一个新部分或主题的开头。因此，我将这句话作为第一段开始翻译： In this section, we will focus on the importance of communication skills in today's workplace. As companies become more global and diverse, effective communication has become a vital aspect of daily operations. Whether it is written, verbal, or nonverbal communication, the ability to convey messages clearly and accurately is essential for success in any job. This section will explore various elements of communication, such as active listening, body language, and cultural considerations, and provide tips for improving communication skills.