Once upon a time, several million years ago, a truly colossal fish lived in the oceans of the Earth. It was the largest shark that has ever lived on this planet. And, besides, it was one of the largest vertebrate predators in history. This monster was named Megalodon. These ruthless predators roamed the seas and oceans of the Earth from about 28 to 2 million years ago. But at the beginning of the Pleistocene era, all megalodons became extinct.
Huge monster megalodon
The Megalodon was incredibly huge. Some of the found teeth of this shark reach 17 centimeters in size. Scientists' reconstructions using jaws and other fossils suggest that megalodons were likely 16.5 meters in length. Which is about 3 times the size of the largest great white sharks. Even the scary and terrible T-rex is baby talk in comparison to the megalodon.
equal size of man and the largest sharks.
Researchers have found a lot of fossils, the source of which is the megalodon. In particular, many teeth were found. This indicates that the species was very common on our planet. Megalodon lived in a wide variety of marine environments. But he preferred warm and temperate shallow places. This predator was at the very top of the food chain. And, quite possibly, he was able to hunt quite large prey. Such as, for example, dolphins or even whales.
As mentioned, megalodons became extinct about 2 million years ago. However, some people are not satisfied with this statement. They are convinced that these giant ancient monsters still exist. Unfortunately, some documentaries (which actually use fake footage) claim that megalodons are still hiding in the depths of the ocean. So let's take a look at the general arguments. And maybe we can come to some reasonable conclusion.
First, no one has direct evidence that megalodons still exist. No, lack of evidence is not proof of absence. We know that. It can be very difficult to prove that something does not exist. But if we cannot do this, this does not mean at all that the megalodons are still hiding somewhere.
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Fear has big eyes
Science knows numerous eyewitness stories about the huge sharks they saw. There are many photographs and drawings that show really large fish. And one photo caused a lot of controversy. This image was featured in the Discovery Channel's documentary. Later, a denial of the reality of this photo was circulated.
The picture shows the dorsal and tail fins of the shark next to the submarine. And the distance between them was estimated at 64 feet. Or 19.5 meters. But this image turned out to be fake. The documentary turned out to be an ordinary fake. This became apparent to anyone who managed to read the disclaimer. At the very end of the craft. Plus, the size of the fish is very confusing. Almost 20 meters! But this is not all fish. And only about 2/3 of its full length. The "scientists" who reasoned wisely in this documentary turned out to be simple actors.
The reports of the bodies of huge sharks that have appeared on the beaches at different times may well be true. But man is made in such a way that he is inclined to exaggerate. These fish may well be just large white or whale sharks. Obviously, eyewitness accounts are an extremely unreliable source of information. Especially when it comes to rotting or decaying animals. For the inexperienced eye, a whale or white shark may well pass for a terrible monster of depth.
Yeah. And the coelacanths?
Yes, in recent decades we have made a couple of unexpected discoveries in the ocean. And this has bolstered the belief of some people that the megalodon still exists. The discovery of the coelacanths and pelagic bigmouth sharks, considered long ago extinct, puzzled the scientific world. However, the fact that we were wrong about the coelacanths does not mean that megalodons also exist.
The bigmouth shark was first discovered in 1976. This animal feeds on plankton. And its dimensions can reach 4.5 meters in length. Yes, it's a pretty big fish. Yes, this could mean that even relatively large shark species can escape our sight. For centuries, they can hide in the oceans. By remaining unnoticed. But this fact does not mean at all that the megalodon still exists. Because the bigmouth shark lives almost always at very serious depths. And this makes it difficult to detect.
Whale shark on the beach.
Sharks change their teeth regularly. But we still have not found a single tooth of a young megalodon.
But maybe the megalodon is just hiding in very deep places of the ocean? Just avoiding detection? This is highly unlikely. The data on megalodons that scientists get from the study of fossils shows that these fish preferred shallow water. And they loved warm water very much. Because in such places there was a lot of large loot. In addition, it is believed that one of the factors that may have contributed to the extinction of the megalodon was the migration of their prey to colder waters. This sharply reduced the food base of the predator. Therefore, it is quite obvious that the megalodon is simply not adapted for life in the depths.
Monsters of the Depth
But we have only explored a tiny fraction of our oceans, you say. Yes it's true. However, science knows that the vast majority of marine life lives in the first few hundred meters of water. Where the sunlight can get. Below this level, life becomes highly specialized. Large animals at great depths are rare. The Megalodon was an incredibly huge creature. And he needed constant food. Like any large animal. Well, maybe, you ask, the megalodons are not extinct? Did they just turn into a small, specialized shark that can live deep in the ocean? Well, then this is no longer a megalodon.
Reconstruction of the megalodon jaw.
Most people on this planet are fine with the claim that megalodons are extinct. And, most likely, it is so.
But what if?