Orca and Megalodon are regarded as killer sharks, and some will call them whales. They do share a lot in common, and they have their weaknesses and strength. Orcas and Megalodon are mammalian fishes that consume just anything animal they find in the sea. They are both of huge sizes and very fast when it comes to hunting their prey. Though they rarely come in contact with each other, many people are curious about what will happen when they eventually do. 

So, who will win the Battle between Orca and Megalodon?

In a one-on-one situation, the Megalodon is more potent than the Orca, but the Orca typically hunts and fights enemies in cooperation with others. 

How The Battle Between Megalodon And Orca May Go

Since the Orca pods hunt and fight aggressors on cooperation, they will likely ram the Megalodon at the gills and then circulate her in a three-dimensional style to kill the Megalodon. It is challenging for one Orca to defeat a Megalodon. 

The Megalodon- What You Should Know About The Big Tooth

Megalodon, also known as the big tooth, is extinct shark species that was believed to have lived some 2.5 to 3 million years ago. It is believed to be a close relative of the giant white shark. It is also regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators ever to exist. Other features known of the Megalodon include the following;

1. Enormous Dentition

The Megalodon was believed to possess teeth with a maximum length of between 14.2 and 20.3 meters. These estimates suggest that the Megalodon had large jaws that can exert a force on any animal of up to 182,000 Newton. The thick and robust teeth of this particular shark are specifically designed to break bones and grab prey. 

2. They Prey on Large Sea Animals

Megalodon had a cosmopolitan distribution; hence they were found in different oceans around the world. They can survive in both fresh and saltwater conditions. They targeted larger prey for food, including sea turtles, whales, sharks, and seals. The juveniles live primarily in warmer coastal waters, where they feed on smaller whales and other fishes. 

3. Aggressive Attacks

The Megalodon is known for its aggressive attacks. Unlike the great white sharks, the Megalodon often attacks its prey from the softer undersides, using the strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and, in the process, puncturing the lungs and heart. 

4. Habitat

Megalodon faced stiff competition from some other whale-eating cetaceans, including the Livyatan and other sperm whale species. Megalodon preferred the warmer waters because the marine cooling systems and lowering sea levels supported the nursery system for the shark species. However, this habitat was also believed to contribute to the decline of the numbers of Megalodon. 

5. Body Size

There is much contradictory information on the actual size of Megalodon, but some fragmented remains of the shark have helped a long way in resolving this. 

The maximum length estimates of the Megalodon is between 14.2 and 20.3 meters; this is significantly more than the 6 meters average length of the great white sharks. The whale shark remains the most significant living fish today, with an average length of 15 meters. The Megalodon is believed to be the most giant macro-predatory shark that ever existed in history.

The matured male Megalodon can weigh up to 33.9 metric tons, while grown females can weigh up to 59.4 metric tons. 

6. Other Features Worth Mentioning

The average swimming speed of the Megalodon is 18 kilometres/hour assuming the shark has an average body mass of 48 tons. This speed is consistent with other aquatic creatures of similar size. One thing makes the Megalodon seem to be faster is the more extended body size. 

The abundance of large preys and climatic factors might have contributed to the ever-increasing size of the Megalodon. The evolution of Megalodon’s metabolic rate might also be responsible for its swimming speed. 

The Megalodon has been found in many marine environments, including shallow coastal waters, swampy lagoons, and sandy Littorals. The Megalodon was also found to have inhabited offshore deep water environments; hence the fish showed a transient lifestyle. Most Megalodon adults were discovered to have inhabited the shallow water environments. The growth in sizes of Megalodon was believed to have changed all through its existence. 

Just like many other shark species, Megalodon had complex hunting procedures or strategies. The Megalodon bites found on discovered fossils show that they can break rib cages and crush even the most rigid bones with a single bite.

The Orca- What You Should Know About The Killer Whale

The Orca is also known as the killer whale. This is a toothed whale that belongs to the dolphin family. This killer whale species have several distinctive features, including the following;

1. Body

Orca is recognized physically by its black exterior part and white-colored belly. It also comes with patches around the eye. Orcas can grow up to 1.8 meters in height, and males can grow up to 26ft long with bodyweight over 6 tons. 

The Orcas have robust dentition, and their jaws can exert a powerful grip on any prey. Females are generally smaller, growing up to 23 feet at full maturity. They do possess middle solid and back teeth that can hold prey in place for as long as the fish want to. Their calves can weigh up to 400 lbs. at birth. Killer whales have a sophisticated dermal layer which is better than those found on other species. 

2. Diet

Orca is known to have a diverse diet, and most feed on smaller fishes. Orca feed on many marine animals, including the seals and several other types of dolphins. It is widely believed that Orcas have no predators; hence they are referred to as Apex predators. 

3. Environment

Orca can be found in all the world’s oceans. You can find it in the artic, Antarctic, and tropical seas, but they are absent in the Baltic and Black seas. The continuous loss of habitat, prey depletion, pollution of the environment, and hunting of Orcas by humans have depleted the population of the animals. 

4. Behavior

Orcas are very social animals; many species are known to exist in pods or sub-family groups. They have sophisticated hunting techniques that include vocal behaviors that are passed from one generation to another. 

5. Types of Orcas

There are up to five different types of Orcas, but three are of paramount significance. The three main types of Orcas are; Resident, Transient or Bigg’s, and Offshore. The resident species are the most prominent you will sight primarily in coastal waters. They are found primarily in the Pacific region of the Northeast. They consume mainly fishes and sometimes squids. 

The Transient types travel in small groups of two to six. The transient Orcas are known to vocalize in less complex dialects when compared to the Residents. The female transients are known for their round dorsal fins, and transients are primarily found in the Southern Alaska area and some parts of California seas. 

The Offshore groups are those predominantly found in the Northeast pacific area and were discovered only in 1988. These species travel far from the shore hence their names. They also feed primarily on schooling fishes and smaller sea animals. They are characterized by large, scarred, and nicked dorsal fins. They can be found in the Western coastal areas of Vancouver, Canada. Offshore Orcas seem to have smaller bodies when compared to other species. 

Orcas Vs. Megalodon – Who Will Win In A Battle?

Orcas are not known to attack humans, and they don’t have a predator aside from humans who hunt them for many reasons. Despite their playful nature in the sea, there have been very few occasions when a Megalodon and Orca were spotted together or near each other. It is believed that the Megalodon and other large fishes can recognize the vocal signals made by Orcas and will probably avoid a confrontation by moving away from the routes where the sounds emanate from.

Since both Orca and Megalodon have solid jaws and dentition that can crush bones and piece through vital organs like the lungs and heart, the winner of a potential battle will depend mainly on speed. Both fish species will inflict deep wounds on each other and will probably not survive such attacks.

Conclusion

A fight between Orca and Megalodon is unlikely. The Megalodon, for instance, is extinct, while the Orca is almost extinct. Except the human hunting for Orcas is significantly reduced or stopped, it is believed that these notable fish species may eventually go extinct within the next 10-15 years. 

While a fight between a Megalodon and Orca is impossible today, there have been several animated videos of what would likely happen. In most animated videos, the Megalodon seems to have a slight edge over the Orca in terms of speed. However, the Orca’s slightly heavy bodyweight seemed to have helped the killer whale absorb more bites from the Megalodon.