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How long were adult megalodons estimated to be?

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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).

Estimates for the size of adult megalodon vary based on the scientific models used to interpret the shark's body proportions.

Research based on the statistical relationship between megalodon teeth and those of modern relatives suggests that mature adults had a mean length of approximately 13 to 14 meters (about 42.7 to 45.9 feet). While some estimates indicate that the largest specimens reached up to 24.3 meters (about 79.7 feet), other studies proposing a more slender, lemon-shark-like body shape suggest a range between approximately 54 and 80 feet long.12

These variations arise because megalodon skeletons were composed of cartilage, which does not preserve well in the fossil record, leaving scientists to rely primarily on teeth and vertebrae to calculate body mass and length. Regardless of the specific model, megalodon is widely considered the largest fish to have ever lived.123