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How do megalodon teeth compare with great white shark teeth?

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Illustration of a female megalodon shark (Carcharocles megalodon) with a faint human scuba diver silhouette in the background for scale, highlighting the shark's massive size. Measurement bars at the bottom show 3 meters and 9 feet for reference. — megalodon Megalodon (*Carcharocles megalodon*) was a species of shark that lived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (23.03 million to 2.58 million years ago).

Megalodon teeth share several structural similarities with those of the great white shark, as both are triangular, serrated, and symmetrical. These shared characteristics have historically led some researchers to suggest a close evolutionary relationship between the two species.12

However, there are distinct differences between the teeth of these two predators:

Size: Megalodon teeth are significantly larger and thicker. The largest known megalodon tooth measures 6.9 inches (17.8 cm) in length, which is nearly three times longer than the average tooth of a modern great white shark, typically measuring about 2.1 inches (5.4 cm).13
Structure: Unlike the teeth of modern white sharks, megalodon teeth feature a bourlette—a darker, chevron-shaped region located near the root of the tooth.1
Serrations: While both species have serrated teeth, the serrations on megalodon teeth occur at regular intervals.1

Some scientists suggest that the similarities in tooth structure may be a result of convergent evolution, where similar traits evolve independently in different lineages, rather than indicating a direct ancestral link.2