What is "timingila"

The Timingila ( Sanskrit: तिमिङ्गिल) is a huge aquatic creature that can swallow whole whales in one bite (the word itself means whale-swallower in Sanskrit), as written about in the ancient historical text, Mahabharata (Vana Parva 168.3). It is also mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam (12.9.16), Ramayana (Yuddha-kanda 4.114), Susruta Samhita (Ch.45), and Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 13.142).

Judging by the descriptions, this could be similar to the Megalodon which was perhaps the most enormous aquatic predator of prehistoric times and lived approximately 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era. There is evidence that indeed it fed on many deep sea aquatics including giant sea-turtles, dolphins and small to large sized whales.