Leviathan shared the seas around Peru with Megalodon, the biggest shark in history. It too was thought to have hunted whales and many of its teeth have also been found at Cerro Colorado. For the moment, it’s hard to say if the two predators were direct competitors. (Image by Karen Carr)

Leviathan’s teeth (A-C) could grow up to a foot long and were around 4 inches wide. Similarly sized teeth had been found as early as 1877, providing tantalising hints of a giant, predatory sperm whale. But the skull that matched those teeth has only just been found. (Photo by G. Bianucci, O.Lambert, P.Loubry)

Leviathan’s skull was clearly more robust and toothy than that of today’s sperm whale, which feeds through suction. Like a modern killer whale, it would have grabbed its prey with a powerful bite, but one that was at least three times bigger. Its temporal fossa – the shallow depression on the side of the skull – was enormous and could old huge jaw-closing muscles. (Photo by O.Lambert)

The skull of Leviathan was big enough to swallow a human whole and had the largest bite of any tetrapod. The short, wide snout allowed it to bite more strongly with its front teeth, which were angled forwards to give a better grip on prey with curved bodies. (Photo by G. Bianucci)

Leviathan was at the very top of the food chain and probably hunted medium-sized baleen whales. It lived at a time when these whales started becoming much bigger and were diversifying. Rich in fat, they would have provided a great source of energy for the giant predator. (Image by C.Letenneur)

The modern sperm whale is very different to its ancient cousin. It grow to about the same size as Leviathan but it hunts squid rather than other whales. It has no functional teeth in its upper jaw and only small ones in its lower jaw that are probably used for fighting. (Image by NOAA)