British scientists have “used mathematical calculations to work out the size” of Carcharodon megalodon, the biggest shark that ever lived (https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/03/world/megalodon-shark-scli-intl-gbr-scn/index.html). At 60 feet long and weighing 48 tons, Megalodon was twice as big as a full-grown great white shark… according to CNN Fake News.
Actually, the great white tops out around 20 feet long; but CNN didn’t know that.
CNN also goes on about “rare fossil remains of its teeth.” They got that wrong, too. Those fossils are not rare. In fact, you can buy them online. “Sharktooth Hill,” near Bakersfield, California, is famous for yielding lots of fossil Megalodon teeth. A friend of mine had one, years ago. And yes, it was as big as your hand.
I don’t know why people who write about sharks are so fond of exaggerating their size. Like, a 20-foot shark is chopped liver? Last I looked, the world-record great white shark caught on hook and line was 16 feet long. But 20 or 30 feet long makes a better story, somehow.
We can be thankful that this bruiser is extinct, except in monster movies. We’ve got enough real monsters to worry about.