Obviousness is a critical element to patentability. In essence, even if the applicant can demonstrate patentable subject matter, utility and novelty, the patent will not issue if the invention is trivial.
While the earliest C. megalodon remains were reported from late Oligocene strata, around 28 million years old, a more reliable date for the origin of the species is the early Miocene, about 23 million years ago.
A Prehistoric Monster It's easy to understand why Discovery chose megalodon to kick off this year's Shark Week, though. Growing to an estimated length of over 50 feet (16 meters), megalodonâliterally megatoothâresembled something out of a prehistoric nightmare and has no modern equivalents in terms of size.