On Megalodon illustrations

[cuberdrift]

This world, this universe, is FULL of fascinating things...it is such a marvel that one does not think twice about its grandeur.

I have recently been fascinated by the existence of this monster shark, a terrifying 60-foot whale eater. After surfing the net, I've encountered various pictures...apparently digitally altered...depicting the extinct shark species as somehow still alive and kicking.

Just for some eye-candy, let's start off with the most exaggerated ones:







...which are, obviously, buffed-up renditions of an already terrifying prospect of nature.

However, some images seem to be rather more faithful to the shark's real proportions:











What is my basis for saying so? Here are some pictures of its fossilized jaws:

(some may not be particularly enormous, but still terrifying nonetheless):









...and damn...who could take a night's shower after seeing this one (allegedly 9 feet high, 11 wide)...



Interestingly, that last one seemed particularly large, seemingly bigger than the previous mouth pictures.

My question is: how accurate the fan-made representations of the previous group of pictures are? I am no expert in the field of measurement, so I desire someone experienced here to tell us how close these depictions are of the shark, to the real shark, in terms of size, with the fossil images as basis.

Are the sharks in those pictures actually the same SIZE as the real Megalodon? I want to believe whoever created those had in mind the proper measurements of the real Megalodon shark, so as to give us an accurately-sized portrayal of this amazing creature.

For example, the picture with the diver diving towards the "camera" and the Megalodon's mouth agape:



...may seem realistic, but I cannot ascertain just how large the mouth is, as the diver's body isn't shown standing, but rather, from a "top view".

Does the mouth in that image match the size of, say, this one:



? Or, for instance, this picture:



Could it be realistic enough to somehow be along the size of this:



?

It is amazing to find pictures like this since it somehow looks damn real...but I am skeptical; I want to make sure those proportions are correct, so I can safely and authentically enjoy contemplating on these sleepless-inducing illustrations of terror.

Thank you for your attention! There is nothing more badass in this planet.

[cwjalex]

it seems like millions of years ago there were animals that were very similar to the ones that exist now...except they were waaaay bigger.  snakes, sharks, bears, lions, wolves...millions of years ago there existed massive versions of these creatures.

the only thing that makes me skeptical about megalodons is that the only evidence we have for their existence are teeth.  of course we can make educated guesses that they resembled modern day sharks but there are a tremendous amount of assumptions made.

[awesom_o]

Funny, cryptozoology and extinct megafauna are one of my greatest passions!

Megalodon was definitely real, although he certainly wasn't large enough to swallow a container ship or an airliner.

It was over 50 feet long, however, which is more than twice the length of the largest great white sharks ever caught, and many, many times larger by mass....

I've read that the reason it went extinct was because the oceans cooled as a result of ice ages in the late Pliocene era. Megalodon thrived in warm, tropical waters, and the large whales on which it survived began to move towards cooler, polar waters. Megalodon required shallow, warm water for its nursery sites, and once the food supply was gone, it went extinct.

It's fascinating how many of the most fearsome animals to ever live went extinct due to such banal changes in environment! 

[cabbynum]

It's fascinating how many of the most fearsome animals to ever live went extinct due to such banal changes in environment! 

What will wipe us out? Haha



Also creatures were waaaaaay bigger back then because there was a much higher percentage if oxygen in the air.

[Bob]

There's something from the History or Discovery channel about that one. 

[senanserat]

Fun Fact: My Patrunus is a Megalodon. It is know and so says J.K's Test