Could Megalodon still live in the deep ocean?
While that may be disheartening to Megalodon believers, in a way it's also encouraging. Since the average depth of the ocean is around 14,000 feet, that means the Megalodon Shark, even if it has evolved to live in very deep water, could, in theory, exist in numerous places around the world.
Does Megalodon still exist?
Yes! Megalodon really did exist. One reason we know this is because of fossil teeth and vertebrae left behind. Because shark skeletons consist mostly of cartilage rather than bone, these are the only parts that fossilize. No living or dead specimen has ever been recovered.
Can a Megalodon still exist?
Yes, as we have all been led to believe the megalodon shark has been extinct for millions of years. However, now, there is plausible reason to believe that it still exists hidden out of sight. Scientists have been wrong about prehistoric sea creatures being extinct before.
Could Megalodon still be alive?
Though scientists believe that Megalodon went extinct around 2.3 million years ago, many cryptozoologists believe that this massive shark could still be out there. Cryptozoologists believe there are several arguments for the existence of Megalodon including:
Where do megalodons live?
How Did Megalodon Go Extinct?
Does Megalodon Live in the Mariana Trench?
How big is a great white shark?
What are the animals that live in the ocean?
How long is a megalodon shark?
How long did it take for the Megalodon to evolve?
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What would happen if the Megalodon never went extinct?
If the megalodon never went extinct, oceans would be very unsafe places. Extinct species and people don’t belong in the same era. Nature selected the megalodon for extinction, and it should stay like that. However, for the sake of the argument, let’s imagine how life would look like if the megalodon never went extinct.
When Did The Megalodon Go Extinct?
The Megalodon (Otodus megalodon), is an extinct species of shark, arguably one of the largest, if not the largest marine predator that has ever lived.
What Was the Reason for the Megalodon Death?
It’s believed that the megalodon went extinct in the period when the planet Earth entered a phase of global cooling 3.6 million years ago.
Why are there fewer megalodon sharks?
They preferred warmer waters, and with the colder temperatures, their natural habitat started to reduce , resulting in fewer numbers of megalodon sharks. Recent studies, however, have shown that the megalodon sharks went extinct way before the climate shift and the great white shark was the reason.
How long ago did the Great White Shark come to be?
Great white sharks came to the scene around 6 million years ago, inhabiting only the Pacific. Fast forward 2 million years and the great white shark had spread all across the globe. According to scientists, the great white sharks outcompeted the megalodon and drove it to extinction.
What is the prey of a megalodon?
The megalodon had a cosmopolitan distribution, it preferred warmer waters, and its main prey were whales, sea turtles, and seals.
Can a megalodon be a match for us?
Despite its size, the megalodon is no match for us.
How long did the Megalodon live?
In a new study, researchers analyzed dozens of Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) fossils, and now estimate that the ancient shark, the largest to ever live, likely went extinct about 2.6 million years ago .
How big is the Megalodon?
Megalodon could grow up to 60 feet (18 meters) long and had a bite more powerful than that of a Tyrannosaurus rex. The sea monsters terrorized the oceans from about 16 million to 2 million years ago.
Are Megalodons extinct?
Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene.
Did the Megalodon have any predators?
Mature megalodons likely did not have any predators, but newly birthed and juvenile individuals may have been vulnerable to other large predatory sharks, such as great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), whose ranges and nurseries are thought to have overlapped with those of megalodon from the end of the Miocene and
Is the Megalodon bigger than a blue whale?
Monster-size sharks in The Meg reach lengths of 20 to 25 meters (66 to 82 feet). That's massive, although a tad smaller than the longest known blue whales. Scientists have made estimates of how big C. megalodon got, based on the size of their fossil teeth.
Is a megalodon a dinosaur?
Because of its size, megalodon was an apex predator in the ocean. Even though meg alodons and dinosaurs are both extinct, they never coexisted. The dinosaurs died out about 66 million years ago. Megalodons came later.
Was Jaws a Megalodon?
The jaws are constructed with 182 fossilized teeth of the world's largest shark, Carcharocles megalodon, which went ex tinct about 2 million years ago. They represent the life work of Vito Bertucci, a jeweler-turned-fossil hunter who spent nearly two decades searching for the massive teeth used in the jaw.
Why doesn't Megalodon exist?
Here are just some of the reasons scientists argue that Megalodon does not still exist: People Would Find Their Teeth: Though the argument that Megalodon could avoid detection, all sharks routinely lose their teeth. So if Megalodon Sharks were still out there and we couldn’t see them, we would still find their teeth.
Why do people love megalodons?
People love the Megalodon because it plays to our worst fears of nature. Sharks are the apex predator of the sea and off land, humans have little defense one on a one if a shark decides to attack. Megalodon was a massive shark, that could easily swallow a person in one terrifying bite. Knowing this creature existed once before, the idea that it could still be out there and one day come for us is truly terrifying. It’s a fun thought to scare ourselves a bit, thinking about this massive predator, but is it realistic to ever think a human and a Megalodon could ever come face to face?
Who Were The Megalodon Sharks?
Megalodon is the largest known predatory shark to ever swim the oceans. It lived 26 million to 2.3 million years ago during the Cenozoic Era. Megalodon grew up to 67 feet (20 meters) in length and weighed up a whopping 114 tons (103 metric tons). Megalodon, named after the greek term for “big tooth,” had teeth 6.6 inches (168 mm) in length. Lined with up to 276 of these massive teeth, it’s mouth measured 11 feet wide and 9 feet tall and could bite a whale in half. Megalodon mainly feasted on whales, dinosaurs, and other sharks living in temperate and warm waters. Megalodon was a Lamniformes shark, that was similar in look and behavior to a modern Great White Shark. So it was truly a ferocious predator.
What would happen if we didn't see Megalodon sharks?
So if Megalodon Sharks were still out there and we couldn’t see them, we would still find their teeth. Especially since their teeth are so massive. Photographs Are Misleading: Basking Sharks are a large lamniformes shark that are often mistaken for Great Whites because they have a similar body.
What did Megalodon eat?
Megalodon mainly feasted on whales, dinosaurs, and other sharks living in temperate and warm waters. Megalodon was a Lamniformes shark, that was similar in look and behavior to a modern Great White Shark. So it was truly a ferocious predator.
How long has the Coelacanth fish been extinct?
The most notable example is the Coelacanth fish. Coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago but was caught off the coast of Africa in 1938. Coelacanth grows to six feet in length, so though it’s not as large as a Megalodon, it’s proof that large extinct fish could still be in our oceans without knowing.
How big is a giant squid?
Another example is the Giant Squid which is 30 feet (9.1 m) in length and has only recently been seen on camera. So if known species of large ocean life eludes us, who is to say that there aren’t other massive species like Megalodon lurking in the deep.
Why aren't megalodons around anymore?
For starters, it would have taken a lot of calories to keep such a massive animal going, which means megalodon likely ate the largest things it could find in the ocean, including whales and other large marine life.
Why did the megalodon go extinct?
According to scientists, a lot of the large prehistoric marine animals became extinct as the world started to cool down before entering the Ice Age. This could have killed all kinds of marine animals — even seabirds and turt les — affecting the food chain and eventually leaving megalodon with not enough to eat.
How did the Ice Age affect the megalodon?
Lucky for us, the Ice Age brought on additional changes that made life unsustainable for giant marine beasts. As currents changed and glaciers expanded over the poles, the habitat of megalodon became smaller and smaller. Some marine life, including certain species of whales, could have potentially migrated toward colder waters, leaving the megalodon behind with little to eat. Over time, rain, wind, and continent shifting resulted in the temperature dropping about 27 degrees Fahrenheit — making life for the megalodon much more difficult (per ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research ).
How big is a megalodon shark?
The megalodon was the largest shark to ever live. According to the National History Museum, experts estimate megalodons could have reached a length of up to 59 feet — more than three times the size of Deep Blue. The truth, however, is that we don't know how big a megalodon was. The ferocious beasts went extinct around 3.6 million years ago, and a full skeleton has never been recovered. Still, paleontologists can more or less guess their size based on their teeth — some are 7 inches long.
What predators hunt megalodon pups?
Modern ocean predators (such as orcas and great white sharks) would also likely hunt the 12-foot megalodon pups, limiting the species' chances for survival, according to ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research.
Is the world a sustainable place for megalodon sharks?
While our planet is now warming up and the poles are melting, the modern world is no longer a sustainable place for megalodon sharks. Marine megafauna is almost nonexistent today and the remaining whale population is well-adapted for life in cooler waters. Warm ocean waters, where the megalodon would choose to live, could no longer provide enough food or proper coastal breeding grounds for a predator that size (via Fossil Guy ).
Where are megalodons hiding?
The megalodon may be extinct, but it might also be hiding deep within our oceans, perhaps even in the Mariana Trench. Over 80% of our oceans are undiscovered, giving the megalodon a lot of places to hide out. In fact, it costs over $30 million for the proper equipment to even explore the trench, and it takes some brave scientists and thrill seekers to give it a try. However, the money might be worth it. In 2012 the Brazilian Coastguard caught a very convincing video of a giant shark passing by them as they completed a rescue operation. Megalodon teeth have also been found that are just over 10,000 years old.. If scientists have been wrong about sea creature extinction before– like with the coelacanth– then they could be wrong about the meg too.
Where can I find megalodon teeth?
A place called Shark Tooth Hill near Bakersfield Ca. is loaded with megalodon teeth. People can dig up megalodon teeth ranging from 3 inches to over 6 inces in size. Furthermore, High quality 3inch megalodon teeth can fetch between $250- $500; 6+ inches fetch $300 – $800 and even some $10,000 per tooth. I guess its like digging for gold.
How old are shark teeth?
Teeth have been found and verified to be only 10,00 years old. These findings are well outside the range of the common extinction theory that the megalodon shark went extinct over 1.5 million years ago.
Is the megalodon shark extinct?
Yes, as we have all been led to believe the megalodon shark has been extinct for millions of years. However, now, there is plausible reason to believe that it still exists hidden out of sight. Scientists have been wrong about prehistoric sea creatures being extinct before.
Where do megalodons live?
Scientists think that the megalodon young lived in shark nurseries like great whites do. These are areas, usually close to shore, where young sharks can grow and feed in relative safety.
How Did Megalodon Go Extinct?
There are a few theories. One says that, as the environment entered a cooling period, sea levels began to fall and currents shifted, causing not only a cooling of the ocean itself but also a shift in the food supply. Theoretically, the megalodon shark either couldn’t adapt to the colder climate, the food issues, or both.
Does Megalodon Live in the Mariana Trench?
For meg to still be still alive, it would have had to adapt to colder temperatures, a different breeding pattern, and greatly different food sources. It is obviously not hunting offshore near areas populated by humans. So where did it go?
How big is a great white shark?
To put this in perspective, a very large great white shark may reach an adult length of 20 feet. Megalodon was three times as big! Megalodon may have weighed 50 tons, with some estimates putting them even heavier. Again for perspective, realize that the largest great whites are around 5,000 pounds, or about 2.5 tons.
What are the animals that live in the ocean?
The Lazarus Taxon and the Megalodon Shark 1 Megamouth Shark: The incredible megamouth shark is another sea creature that can grow to enormous size, but it was not discovered until 1976. This beast eluded researchers for so long because it lives in deep water, and comes closer to the surface only at night. 2 Giant Squid: The giant squid is a huge creature, reaching up to 30 feet in length, dwelling in the deepest parts of the ocean. Though science eventually knew of its existence from bodies washed ashore and scars left on the bodies of whales, no live adult specimen was ever caught on film until 2004. Now we know much more about these creatures, and that there is an even larger monster squid out there. 3 Colossal Squid: The Colossal Squid is an enormous real-life sea monster, with the largest specimens weighing over half a ton. Even though it was discovered in 1925, we still know very little about this beast. Colossal and giant squid sightings by ancient sailors are probably what led to legends of the Kraken sea monster 4 Coelacanth: The coelacanth is an even stranger case. This bizarre fish was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago, until they were discovered in 1938, live and well, off the coast of South Africa. The coelacanth is a prehistoric fish, referred to as the Living Fossil. While they're not giants like megalodon, the megamouth, or the Giant Squid, they do reach over six feet in length.
How long is a megalodon shark?
Answer: The megalodon shark could reach a length of up to 60 feet, according to current estimates. This is much shorter that earlier estimates, where some researchers speculated megalodon might have been 100 feet long. That’s as long as a blue whale!
How long did it take for the Megalodon to evolve?
While there were prehistoric sharks back then, megalodon did not evolve until around 23 million years ago. The extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs occurred 65 million years ago, putting a 40-million-year gap between megalodon and the last known dinosaurs.
