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Meg-mythology

A singular account of the prehistoric shark
by
November 2023, no. 459

Big Meg: The story of the largest and most mysterious predator that ever lived by Tim Flannery and Emma Flannery

Text Publishing, $35 pb, 200 pp

Meg-mythology

A singular account of the prehistoric shark
by
November 2023, no. 459

Megalodon, the famed prehistoric shark, is the stuff of legends. Their huge teeth – as big as the palm of a hand – fuel unquenchable rumours of their continued survival, a plethora of implausible YouTube videos, and the devoted fascination of a legion of children.

Megalodon presents as a formidable prehistoric predator of epic proportions. But just how big was it? Like the fish that got away, giant creatures get bigger and bigger with the telling, leading to frequent exaggeration and misrepresentation, even in the driest scientific accounts.

The title of Big Meg: The story of the largest and most mysterious predator that ever lived plays right into this Meg-mythology. While hyperbole may be an effective marketing tool, in this case the subtitle is simply wrong. Even the largest estimates of megalodon (twenty metres long and fifty tonnes) are on a par with sizes reported for modern whale sharks or prehistoric marine reptiles such as Kronosaurus and slightly smaller than either modern sperm whales or prehistoric Livytan sperm whales. Megalodon would be dwarfed by the modern blue whale, which reaches a maximum of thirty metres long and two hundred tonnes. All of these are predators – animals which feed on other animals. Such looseness with the truth casts a disturbing pall over the reliability of what should be a factual, science-based book.

Big Meg: The story of the largest and most mysterious predator that ever lived

Big Meg: The story of the largest and most mysterious predator that ever lived

by Tim Flannery and Emma Flannery

Text Publishing, $35 pb, 200 pp

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Comments (2)

  • Thanks Vicki - As a science writer with some shared interests in fossils and museums, my work often intersects with that of Tim Flannery and John Long, both of whom I regard as role models for their contributions to popular science writing. I have reviewed Flannery’s books, taught his work in writing classes and chaired/hosted his sessions at festivals and museums. In 2021, I published a children’s biography of Long so naturally I was struck by the different accounts of the megalodon tooth discovery. From time to time both Flannery and Long have reviewed sections of my own books as subject matter experts. It is expected that reviewers have some level of knowledge or expertise about the authors or books they review, something that does not require disclosure. All my reviews are entirely my own opinion. Obviously I did not involve Long or anyone else on this review – other than my own long-suffering immediate family, whose support I probably don’t acknowledge enough.
    Posted by Danielle Clode
    10 October 2023
  • Ouch! I'm surprised the author did not disclose her professional collaborations with John Long.
    Posted by Vicki Flannery
    07 October 2023

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