Epic Battles: The Largest Shark Ever vs. The Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster

Written by Kyle Glatz
Published: March 12, 2023
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The ancient oceans were once filled with a variety of massive marine creatures. While most people think of megalodon as being the biggest, toughest beast, a new discovery proves that it was not the biggest animal to cruise the oceans. Megalodon may not have even been the deadliest. Today, we will explore a hypothetical fight between the largest shark ever and the largest prehistoric sea monster of all time, a recently discovered ichthyosaur.

We’ll compare and contrast the massive fish and the larger reptile to make an educated guess about how this fight would have played out if it could have occurred.

Comparing the Largest Shark Ever and the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster

Largest Shark EverLargest Prehistoric Sea Monster
SizeWeight: up to 100,000 pounds Length: between 45 and 66 feetWeight: perhaps up to 200,000 pounds based on comparisons to Shonisaurus – Length: about 85 feet long
Speed– About 11 mph  – Unknown speed – They have been very fast or slow, inefficient swimmers
Defenses– The shark’s massive body would make it difficult to damage or kill – May have had very good senses to protect it from sudden attacks – Could have had a similar coloration to modern sharks that made it difficult to see– Immense bodies would be very hard to attack – Probably had good sight based on its eye size – Could have been able to sense electrical fields from animals and use that to hunt    
Offensive Capabilities– Had an immensely powerful bite – Jaws could have measured between 6.5 and 9 feet in diameter – Had over 250 total teeth, and some of them could reach 7 inches in length– Some species had a great sense of sight to help them hunt – Snouts were designed to bite small animals – Could have slashed with its snout – Conical teeth that helped them hold onto prey and crush shells or bones
Predatory Behavior– Probably approached prey and ambushed them– Could have been an ambush predator or an opportunist

What Are 2 Key Differences Between the Largest Shark Ever and the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster?

The ichthyosaur was the largest prehistoric sea monster

The ichthyosaur was the largest prehistoric sea monster at an estimated 85 feet in length.

©YuRi Photolife/Shutterstock.com

The key differences between the largest shark ever and the largest prehistoric sea monster are found in their size and the morphology of their mouths. The largest prehistoric sea monster weighed an estimated 200,000 pounds and measured about 85 feet long, but the megalodon weighed about 100,000 pounds and grew between 45 and 66 feet long.

Meanwhile, the largest prehistoric sea monster ever had a long, thin snout filled with conical teeth at the front end that was good for grabbing and holding prey. The megalodon had a much larger mouth with jaws that measured between 6.5 and 9 feet in diameter. Also, it had 7-inch-long teeth.

These differences will certainly impact the outcome of the fight, but we need some more data to round out our understanding of these creatures.

What Are the Key Factors in a Fight Between the Largest Shark Ever and the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster?

Deciding which of these animals wins in a fight requires examining the two combatants from various perspectives. In this case, we’re going to look at five different factors that would influence this fight.

By figuring out which animal has the right advantages against the other, we’ll develop a well-informed notion of how the fight would have played out. Then, we’ll use all that data to determine the winner in the final section. Let’s break down this fight!

The Largest Shark Ever vs. the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster: Size

The ichthyosaur was larger than the megalodon. The largest prehistoric sea monster weighed an estimated 200,000 pounds while measuring about 85 feet long. The megalodon weighed about 100,000 pounds and measured about 45 to 66 feet long.

The ichthyosaur has the size advantage.

The ichthyosaur has the size advantage over the megalodon

The ichthyosaur has the size advantage over the megalodon weighing an estimated 200,000 pounds.

©Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock.com

The Largest Shark Ever vs. the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster: Speed

The largest shark ever probably swam at a speed of about 11 mph at its utmost. However, the recent discovery of the supposedly largest prehistoric sea monster has not allowed enough time for reasonable estimates about the creature’s speed to be issued.

The largest shark ever has the speed advantage.

The Largest Shark Ever vs. the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster: Defenses

Both the largest shark ever and the largest prehistoric sea monster would have a tremendous advantage over other foes because of their size alone. Their large, dense, bodies would be hard to attack for many creatures because of their size. Even if they did, both animals would take an enormous amount of punishment before suffering fatal wounds.

The largest shark ever probably had very potent senses that helped it detect nearby animals. Meanwhile, the largest prehistoric sea monster had great vision and possibly the ability to sense electrical currents from other animals like the shark.

Megalodon probably had a dark coloration on top and a lighter coloration on its bottom, making it hard to see from animals that were above or below it.

The two creatures are tied in their defenses, relying on many of the same elements of size and senses to stay safe.

The Largest Shark Ever vs. the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster: Offensive Capabilities

The largest prehistoric sea monster could have potentially attacked in several ways based on other members of its species. Some species of ichthyosaurs attacked others by slashing prey with their snouts, but they most likely use their very long snouts as a way to bite their prey.

These creatures only had teeth in the front end of their snouts. Those teeth were conical and robust, enough to help them grab prey and possibly crush shells. Some scientists think that they preferred to hunt soft prey, like cephalopods. They believe that the creatures lacked teeth in the back end of their snouts and mouths to bite and masticate tough prey.

Meanwhile, the largest shark ever had massive jaws that measured from 6.5 to 9 feet in diameter. They could bite off hundreds of pounds of flesh in a single bite using their 7-inch serrated teeth. While they had 250 teeth, they certainly didn’t bite with all of them at once. Still, a bite from a megalodon would have been nothing short of devastating.  

The megalodon has the offensive advantage.  

The megalodon has the offensive advantage vs. the ichthyosaur

The megalodon has the offensive advantage because of its massive jaw and 7-inch serrated teeth.  

©racksuz/Shutterstock.com

The Largest Shark Ever vs. the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster: Predatory Behavior

The megalodon and the largest prehistoric sea monster were both probably ambush predators. A megalodon was probably just as much of a terror in the oceans as the modern great white shark. Its senses, power, and speed would give it everything it needed to attack with horrible precision.

The megalodon has the advantage in terms of predatory behavior because more evidence exists about how it probably struck compared to the largest prehistoric sea monster.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between the Largest Shark Ever and the Largest Prehistoric Sea Monster?

The largest shark ever would win a fight against the largest prehistoric sea monster. Although fights between two animals tend to favor the larger animal, the megalodon had several things going for it while the ichthyosaurus had a major detriment.

The largest prehistoric sea monster had a very long, relatively thin snout with teeth only at the front. In short, the creature probably could not have done enough damage to the shark to kill it without time and luck. The reptile would receive neither in a fight against megalodon.

The megalodon had a massive bite featuring 7-inch teeth and jaws that measured about 6.5 to 9 feet in diameter. Moreover, the creature’s coloration, senses, and speed would all but ensure it landed the first strike in this fight.  

The megalodon would shear off hundreds of pounds at a time, tearing at fins and other parts of the reptile’s body until it was unable to fight back. Meanwhile, the largest prehistoric creature could do little to resist. It was probably too slow to swim away, and its bites would have been much less effective against the dominant megalodon.

Still, we lack a great deal of information about the ichthyosaur. We could learn more about it and decide that this fight would go the other way. For now, though, it seems far more likely that the gigantic apex predator would drive off the reptile or outright kill it.

Megalodon hunting

Megalodon, the largest shark ever, would win a fight against an ichthyosaur, the largest prehistoric sea monster, because of its massive bite.

©Catmando/Shutterstock.com

The photo featured at the top of this post is ©


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About the Author

Kyle Glatz is a writer at A-Z-Animals where his primary focus is on geography and mammals. Kyle has been writing for researching and writing about animals and numerous other topics for 10 years, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and Education from Rowan University. A resident of New Jersey, Kyle enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

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