Rediscovered Danish Megalodon Vertebrae Used to Estimate 24.3-Meter Length

Parts of large fossil vertebrae belonging to Otodus megalodon were recently recovered from forgotten boxes in a Danish museum collection, Forbes reported. The specimens had been unearthed in the late 1970s by workers digging clay and were studied and photographed before disappearing during a museum move in the 1980s.

The vertebrae came from the Upper Miocene Gram Formation, a marine deposit formed about 10.8 million years ago when the site lay under a sea more than 328 feet deep.

The original find included around 20 vertebrae, though much of the material later deteriorated. Several of the surviving pieces measured 9 inches in diameter. A 2025 study led by Dr. Kenshu Shimada used the vertebrae to estimate the shark reached approximately 79.7 feet in length.

High-resolution micro-CT scans of the fossils revealed at least 64 growth bands, and a theoretical growth model indicated the animal could have lived as long as 96 years. Sediment around the vertebrae contained tiny scales and gill-related structures from a basking shark.

Researchers proposed these remains may represent stomach contents, offering the first direct evidence of prey associated with Megalodon fossils.

Megalodon lived between roughly 15 million and 3.6 million years ago. Its teeth can exceed 7 inches in length, but complete or even partial skeletons remain rare because shark cartilage seldom fossilizes. “Although our growth model suggests that Megalodon could have theoretically grown even slightly larger, the length of 24.3 meters is currently the largest possible scientifically justifiable estimate for O.

Megalodon,” Shimada said. The Danish vertebrae represent the largest known shark vertebral specimen on record.