For years, the megalodon has been painted as a massive predator built as one thing—an ancient shark built to take down whales. But new research shows that this prehistoric giant may have been way less picky than we thought.

Despite the hype, megalodon wasn’t a specialized whale killer—it was a generalist, snacking on whatever the ocean offered.

In a study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, scientists analyzed zinc isotopes in fossilized megalodon teeth and compared them to those of modern sharks. These isotopes—specifically the ratio of zinc-64 to zinc-66—can reveal an animal’s position on the food chain. The results suggest that megalodon wasn’t exclusively targeting whales at all.

Megalodon Shark’s Choice of Prey Isn’t What Scientists Thought

Instead, it was what geosc

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