A Lecture on Marine Biology- IELTS Listening Sample Answer

Oct 30, 2021

IELTS Listening section tests a candidate’s ability to understand two conversations and monologues and answers 40 questions. Candidates need to carefully listen to the IELTS listening audio, as it is played only once. This topic -A Lecture on Marine Biology is IELTS listening part four. Candidates need to answer the following IELTS listening question types:

No more than three words
True/False

Check: Take IELTS Coaching Sign up for the Free Trial

Topic: A Lecture on Marine Biology

Audio Transcript:

Section 4

You'll hear part of a further education lecture on marine biology. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 36.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 36.

Good morning, everyone and welcome to another further education lecture on marine biology. Recently, we looked at the coelacanth which people thought would become extinct millions of years ago. Today, we are looking at another inhabitant of the deep, which we're pretty sure is extinct. Though, some people still think it exists. I think most people would hope it's extinct as we are talking about the largest predator that ever lived on earth. It is called Carcharodon Megalodon or just the Megalodons. Megalodon was an ancient shark that may have been 12 meters long or even more. There are a few scientists who estimate that it could have been up to 50 or 100 feet, which is 15 or 31 meters long. This is about three times as long as the great white shark, but this is only an estimate made from many fossilized teeth and a few fossilized vertebrae that have been found. These giant teeth are the size of a man's hand. No other parts of this ancient shark are found, as sharp fossils are extremely rare because sharks have no bones, only cartilage which does not fossilize well. Their teeth however are very hard. They are made of a bone-like material coated with hard enamel and they fossilize very well. So we can only guess at what it looked like. Since Megalodon’s teeth are very similar to the teeth of the great white shark, it is thought that Megalodon may have looked like a huge streamlined version of the great white shark. Megalodon teeth are similar to those of the great white shark, but a much bigger, thicker and with finest serrations. Megalodon's jaws could open six feet wide, 7 feet high. The Jaws were loosely attached by ligaments and muscles to the skull opening extremely wide in order to swallow enormous objects. It could easily swallow a large great white shark whole.

Unlike most sharks, Megalodon’s teeth were probably located in rows which rotated into use as they were needed. Most sharks have about three to five rows of teeth at any time. The first set does most of the work. The first two rows are used for obtaining prey. The other rows rotated to places, they are needed. As teeth are lost, broken or worn down, they are replaced by new teeth. Megalodon may have had hundreds of teeth at one time. It did not chew its food like we do but gulped it down hole in very large chunks. Megalodon’s diet probably consisted mostly of whales. Sharks eat about two percent of their body weight each day, which is a bit less than a human being eats. Since most sharks are cold-blooded, they don't have to eat as much proportionally as we eat. It was during the miocene era that the mammalian order cetacea whales reached its highest diversity and abundance. Almost every known family of toothed and baleen whales is known from the end of the miocene. Large whale vertebrae and flipper bones have been found with large bite marks made by serrated teeth that match the teeth of Megalodon. From such evidence, paleontologists have surmised a predator-prey relationship of the Megalodon with large whales.

You now have some time to look at questions 37 to 40.

Now listen to the rest of the Marine Biology lecture and answer questions 37 to 40.

Megalodon lived from roughly 25 to 1.6 million years ago. During the miocene and pliocene epochs which is now extinct, but the exact time of extinction is hotly debated as some people believe that this enormous shark could still exist today. Almost everyone who has investigated the possible existence of the great Megalodon realizes that if it is extinct, it has only recently occurred in the geological record as close as 10,000 years ago. Zoological history has proved that very large animals can remain hidden from modern science, especially in our planet’s underexplored ocean depths. So if the famous coelacanth, the fish thought to be extinct for 60 million years could be found alive and well as it was last century, why not push our giant white sharp up a mere 10,000.

As Megalodon died out, or has one already appeared. There is a well-known sighting report from Australia. In the year 1980, crayfish men at fort Stevens refused to go to sea to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Brampton island for several days. The men had been at work on the deep water fishing grounds, when an immense shark, almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance attacking pot after pot containing many crayfish and taking pots, mooring lines and all.

On returning unscathed, the men were all unanimous that this shark was something the like of which they had never dreamed of. And bear in mind that these were men who were used to the sea and all sorts of weather and all sorts of sharks as well. They all said, the shark was as long as the wharf of their harbour, about 115 feet. They were all familiar with whales which then often see passing at sea, but this was a vast shark.

They had seen this terrible head which was at least as long as the roof on the wall shed at Nelson's Bay. The setting was never repeated and it is impossible to say whether it was a hoax or not. Putting childlike dreaming aside, however leaves us with the fact that whether or not a huge Megalodon is alive today is debatable only on theoretical grounds. Despite thousands of giant fossilized teeth no matter how fresh they might be and exciting, there is not much to go on.

Questions 31-40
Questions 31-36

Complete the Megalodon description below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

THE MEGALODON (Carcharadon Megalodon) – the largest predator that ever lived on Earth
Size
12 m + (possibly up to 15m or 31m)
About 3 X length of Great White Shark (estimates from fossilized teeth + vertebrae)
Teeth
Size of 31_____________________

Answer: a man’s hand

Explanation: The giant teeth are the size of a man's hand.

Also check:

Conversation Between Andrea and Harry About Selling Things – IELTS Listening Sample Answer	Monologue Of A Geography Student Presenting About Sand - IELTS Listening Sample Answer	A Monologue of a Tutor about a Finance Project – IELTS Listening Sample Answer
A Monologue On International Students And Employments In The Country – IELTS Listening Sample Answer	A Conversation Between a Man and a Researcher - IELTS Listening Sample Answer	A Conversation Between John And Ann About Their Survey Reports - IELTS Listening
A Conversation Between a Man and a Woman Discussing the Rental of a Car - IELTS Listening	A Speech By The Master of a University Hall of Residence - IELTS Listening	A Lecture on Corporate Crimes - IELTS Listening
A Conversation Between 2 Students Talking About A Business Study Course - IELTS Listening	A Monologue By A Meteorologist About Weather Forecasting - IELTS Listening	A Monologue By an Artist Illustrator - IELTS Listening

Very hard and fossilized well unlike all other parts of sharks’ cartilage skeletons
Bone-like material coated with 32____________________

Answer: hard enamel

Explanation: They are made of a bone-like material coated with hard enamel and they fossilize very well.

Like Great White Shark teeth but bigger, thicker + more finely serrated
Appearance
Possibly like a huge, streamlined Great White Shark
Jaws
Open 33__________________wide and 7 feet high; could swallow enormous objects

Answer: 6 feet

Explanation: Megalodon's jaws could open six feet wide, 7 feet high.

Loosely attached by ligaments and muscles to the skull
Teeth probably located in rotating rows
First two rows of teeth for 34__________________ others rotate into place as needed
Lost, broken or worn teeth replaced by new ones
Did not chew food; gulped whole large chunks
Diet
Mainly whales.

Answer: obtaining prey

Explanation: The first two rows are used for obtaining prey. The other rows rotated to places, they are needed. As teeth are lost, broken or worn down, they are replaced by new teeth. Megalodon may have had hundreds of teeth at one time. It did not chew its food like we do but gulped it down hole in very large chunks.

Sharks eat approx. 35_____________________ of body weight daily

Answer: 2 percent

Explanation: Sharks eat about two percent of their body weight each day, which is a bit less than a human being eats.

Remains of whales with 36____________________indicate the predator-prey relationship

Answer: (large) bite marks

Explanation: Large whale vertebrae and flipper bones have been found with large bite marks made by serrated teeth that match the teeth of Megalodon.

Questions 37-40

Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE.

The speaker gives another example of a fish that everyone mistakenly thought was extinct.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Large whale vertebrae and flipper bones have been found with large bite marks made by serrated teeth that match the teeth of Megalodon.

In 1918, a giant shark attacked some Port Stephens fishermen killing one of them.

Answer: FALSE

Explanation: The men had been at work on the deep water fishing grounds, when an immense shark, almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance attacking pot after pot containing many crayfish and taking pots, mooring lines and all.

The Port Stephens fishermen all agreed with each other on their description of the shark that they saw.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: They all said, the shark was as long as the wharf of their harbour, about 115 feet. They were all familiar with whales which then often see passing at sea, but this was a vast shark.