Megaladon

Megaladon-- the Mega-Shark

  

No overview of prehistoric sharks would be complete without Megaladon, believed to have been the largest shark that ever existed. Megaladon means "Big Tooth". It still holds the record for being the largest known carnivorous fish. On the far left end of its proposed size spectrum, some scientists believe it exceeded 82 feet in length. More conservative theorists stick to around 43 feet. Newer estimates, based on jaw perimeter and tooth size, place it at 60 feet with a body mass of 50 short tons. 

Megaladon resembled modern great white sharks, but it was twice as long and carried around 20 times more weight. Its teeth were also three times the size of those found in a great white’s mouth. This predator knew how to use them, too. Paleontologists theorize that it hunted like a great white, only with even more aggression. It likely bit directly into a victim’s bone with maximum force and then encircled the injured prey, waiting for it to grow weaker and weaker, before making the final kill. 

If time travel were possible for all species, an interesting competitive match could have been made betweenMegaladon, which emerged 16 million years ago before going extinct 1.6 million years ago, and an armor-plated fish known as Dunkleosteus, which came on the scene much earlier, at 415 million years ago, and went extinct around 360 million years ago. Dunkleosteus, a 4-ton death machine, was recently estimated as having a biting force of 11,000 pounds, or more than twice that of a great white. The armored fish supposedly could devour anything unfortunate enough to cross its path; only a monster shark likeMegaladon might have challenged its ocean superiority, if the two had shared space on the evolutionary tree of life. 

    

    

Describe and compare Great White and Megaladon

Use words:

Extinct, ancient

Super predator

Remarkable, enormous, enigmatic shark

Carnivor

twice the length

teeth three times the size

looks gentle by comparison with

can bite through vertibrates

ravenous

proposed size spectrum

startling savagery

solitary

fear-based thrill

distant kin

predatory strategy

Megaladon - A super predator of the past.

     Great White sharks are the most ravenous of the modern carnivorous fish. These giant predators have inherited their predatory strategies from their distant kin - Megaladons.

Megaladon is a prehistoric giant shark that went extinct about 2 million years ago. Megaladon means "Big Tooth". According to the proposed size spectrum, the largest Megalodons reached the size of 80 feet while the smallest were around 35 feet. Their teeth were three times the size of the teeth of a modern Great White and reached 7 inches in length. The diameter of their jaws was big enough to take down any pleasure boat of the modern times.

Megaladon's startling savagery was remarkable: they fed on whales and their rugged teeth would easily bite through flesh and vertebrates alike. Megaladon's predatory strategies and body form resemble those of the Modern Great White Sharks. When encountered by divers, Great Whites provoke an unmatched fear based thrill in the hearts of the brave explorers. But the well educated biologists know that the modern days Great White Sharks look gentle by comparison with their extinct relatives. 

Chess

First things first.... 

History of chess

The true origin of chess is a controversial topic and can not be accurately pinpointed. The first documented records of chess have been found in the East in Islam, Persia, India, and China. The oldest known chess books were written as early as 850 AD, and with references to the game found in other documents it can be traced back to around the year 600. 

Chess was introduced into Western Europe at an unknown date before 1000 AD. After the year 1100, chess had become a regular feature of noble life, and there were many stories explaining its origin in the west.

During the Middle Ages there was much experimentation with the rules of chess. There were demands for new rules to be applied in order to speed the game up. Such rules included allowing pawns to move two spaces on their first move, and allowing the king and queen to jump squares in the opening turns so as to get them into play faster.

Despite many modifications to the rules of chess during the middle ages, it was essentially the same game at the end of the period as the one taken from Islam 500 years before. Around the year 1500 there is evidence of a sudden reform in the rules, creating a game almost identical to chess played today.

Chess in the nineteenth century was still very much a game for educated men, or those who saw themselves as such. Chess clubs became common. 

Chess clubs only appeared after the 1870's in universities, and the standard of play stayed very low until 1914. During this time chess was very much considered a game exclusively for gentlemen.

In the last part of the twentieth century chess has become a popular game for all age groups, genders, and ethnicities. There are many chess tournaments and organizations where members can play against people from all over the globe and be ranked on the worldwide scale. There are chess computer games, chess over the internet, and informal chess clubs in schools. Chess is truly one of the most popular and timeless games ever.

Chess in NY Schools

Armenia: Compulsory Chess

Before we watch a European Journal video about a school in Armenia where Chess is a required subject think about the following:

1) Which subjects in your school are compulsory?

2) If you had a choice of subjects on the curriculum which would you want to add and why? How would the students benefit from these subjects? Swimming? Horseback riding? Video games?

3) Which subjects can train students' minds, develop logical thinking, strengthen will power, train memory, teach students how to deal with defeat, how to make decisions, and motivate them to win?

During the clip:

What are the similarities between the Armenian school portrayed in the video and our school here at Chelsea?

Let's find Armenia on the map. What are Armenia's neighbors?

What is Hyke's claim to fame?

Which problems does he face in his quest?

What is genocide?

Why is it important to know the history of your people?

After the clip:

Use the following words and expressions to describe the game of chess-

• Honest game
• How to win with honesty and how to lose with dignity
• It takes will power and strong nerves to win
• The first player to lose his nerve, loses the match
• Logical, curious young minds