One wrote: I think they went deeper into the seas like the giant squid which is why we never see them. The Megalodon shark has first shown up around 23 million years ago and ruled the oceans till 3.6 million ago when it finally disappeared. Throughout time, people have developed a lot of theories, many claiming that the Megalodon never went extinct, and its still roaming in the oceans. The megalodon went extinct near the Pliocene era's end, when planet Earth went through a phase of cooling. Is there a megalodon alive today? The most watched clip was reported to have been filmed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and appears to show a giant shark scouring the sea floor. italian athletics championships; 2nd biggest wetherspoons in uk. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Its deepest point, Challenger Deep, reaches to a depth of nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet or nearly 7 miles). Answer: Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived, but it probably wasnt bigger than a blue whale. it has the possibility to have eat'n small fish and survived and if so it would be smaller compared to its normal size because of pressure and it would be very sensitive to light. a camera cant see in that kind of darkness. Divisions in the Debate Over the Existence of a Megalodon in the Ocean Trench. Researchers are aware of some interesting Mariana trench animals, but the megalodon is not one of them. Megalodon is NOT alive today, it went extinct around 3.5 million years ago. ould Megalodon sharks still be alive in the deepest parts of the ocean? On the other hand, scientists shouldn't brush off reported sightings of Megalodon, especially when some of those come from experienced fishermen and seamen who know what all of those things look like. Anything is possible. The fossils of the megalodon are from the beginning of the world. The Mariana Trench megalodon would most definitely need to stock up on some of those. I believe that it is folly to follow the belief that humans are the only intelligent life on this planet and in this universe. The drop in temperatures affected these sharks in many ways. Given that it was a massive shark with noticeable feeding. Even a tooth lodged in a whale or something would prove Megalodon is still around, but until we see such a thing the alleged sightings are nothing but compelling stories. He has said that unusually large and unidentified sharks are still being reported. As they were dependent on tropical waters, the drop in ocean temperatures is likely to have resulted in a significant loss of habitat. Great White Sharks have been recorded diving as deep as 4,000 feet. While the deepest parts of the trench are still largely unknown and unexplored, studies have shown that the conditions in the Mariana Trench are Recent studies, however, have shown that the megalodon sharks went extinct way before the climate shift and the great white shark was the reason. One possibility is that a small population of Megalodon Sharks had already evolved to live at those depths before the larger population of Megalodon went extinct. 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She added the megalodon would not be able to survive in the cold waters of the deep, where it would stand a better chance of going unnoticed. She said: "With its large serrated teeth megalodon would have eaten meat - most likely whales and large fish, and probably other sharks. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. How could it withstand the immense pressure? She has also said the megalodon would not be able to survive in the cold climate of the deep oceans, the only place it could go unnoticed. Are they right? Deep-sea creatures like the Lanternfish are likely way too small to sustain a Megalodon Shark. What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Mosasaurus? The Mariana Trench was created by a geological process called subduction. Best guesses put the largest specimens at about 60 feet, with the typical individual at around 40 feet, or about the size of a whale shark. While certain details of the video are still unclear (such as the date it was made), the clip's descriptionmatches that of a shark filmed off the coast of Japan in 1989: In September 1989, a large female Pacific Sleeper estimated to be 23 feet (7 metres) long was filmed from the viewing ports of a submersible at a depth of 4,000 feet (1,220 metres) off Saruga Bay, Japan. Human bones and bones of other large marine animals are typically made of mineral calcium phosphate, which hardens and is fossilized much easier. So now that we can come to the conclusion that the megalodon extinction was an event from long ago, the new question becomes. Probably not. More to the point, since no sharks exist below 12,000 feet, and no large prey items, it seems highly unlikely that Megalodon would have evolved to live at such depth. And there is a genuine modern-day precedent for gigantic sharks remaining hidden from the rest of the world. Despite what you may have heard on the Discovery Channel back in the day, true ocean experts say that there is no way the megalodon still exists in the deep oceans. Here's a comparison of the shark in the video and another sleeper shark: While the shark in the video is indeed large, it would be considered rather small if it were actually a megalodon. When people first encountered Megalodon teeth, they believed them to be rocks that had made their way to Earth from the moon.- Megalodon was the biggest shark to terrorize the ocean, and it is thought to have gone extinct 2.6 million years ago. What If Megalodon Sharks Never Went Extinct? if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'animalstart_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_5',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-animalstart_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Featured Image: Spotty11222 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 6 Things That Would Happen if All Underwater Volcanoes Exploded at Once? View our online Press Pack. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. What If the World Lost Oxygen for an Hour? Come dive in with us as we explore everything you need to know about the all-powerful megalodon. A video shows a Megaladon Shark at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. When lifting the probe back up from the depths, it caught on an invisible object even though there was nothing between the ship and the sea floor. If the Megamouth Shark remained hidden for so long simply because it dove to 500 feet for most of the day, what chances do we have of finding a Megalodon that may live at 3,000 feet? Its appearance and the maximum size are debatable, and the assumptions we have today are based on the size of its teeth. To put that in context, the average ocean depth is 12,000 feet, only a third of the Trench. Fast forward 2 million years and the great white shark had spread all across the globe. Just because we have encountered alien life, does not mean it's not out there. The Megamouth Shark is a massive fish reaching 20 feet in length or more. This is partly due to some famous novels written on the subject, but the logic here sort of makes sense. ", Rchick added: "Scientists and researchers dont know anything for sure. These scientists say the megalodon evolved from the Cretalamna appendiculata, a creature dating back more than 105 million years. ould Megalodon sharks still be alive in the deepest parts of the ocean? I love reading on Megalodon, your pages are very well written and raise some very interesting questions. Things move and what may be there one day could be somewhere else another. We can only say probably because so little is known about the appearance of megalodon. In all likeliness, we'll eventually discover something just as incredible as the largest shark in existence. But that brings us back to our original problem: If a 60-foot predatory shark is still out there, and still lives around the world, we should see the evidence. Take even the big mouth shark that wasn't even discovered until 1976 because they normally swim from 400-500 feet under water durring the day and only come up to about 100-200 ft during the night. And their suspicions have been fuelled by several unexplained videos posted on the web said to show the giant beast thriving today. We know this because we have found megalodon teeth in deep seas around the globe in every ocean except the Antarctic. Given that it was a massive shark with noticeable feeding habits, we guess that if Megalodon sharks were still roaming the oceans, they would probably have been spotted by someone by now. Larger animals sometimes store food in expandable stomachs for months. Some of these whale skeletons include fossil shark teeth in them, which likely broke off during a predator-prey battle a few million years back. ", Evs wrote:"I think they went deeper into the seas like the giant squid which is why we never see them.". After all, could the Megalodons have been the dolphins/apes of ancient times? What If We Woke Up Volcanoes to Fight Climate Change? Scientists believe that a large part of its extinction was due to its loss of habitat. Look at fake documentaries from the Discovery Channel or photos from typical reconstructions, and the megalodon almost looks like a great white shark, yet way bigger. It would make much more sense if it lived closer to the surface. If megalodon was running the risk of extinction and only a select population of them took to some location stable enough to survive it, is it not reasonable to assume that they simply eat their own dead and dying as a viable, sustainable food source? What people report seeing could be just a very large shark of another species. No large fish has even been found at these extreme depths. I wouldn't be surprised if there are megs outs there. cryptid (author) from USA on November 12, 2015: Good points Levius. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'animalstart_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-animalstart_com-banner-1-0'); Its still unknown the exact reason megalodon went extinct, however, several theories are plausible. Layers of blubber and a heating system similar to that of a great white. US NOAA (Scot Anderson) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons. Does the Megalodon Shark still live, deep in the Mariana Trench? Is it really possible a shark could live at those depths? 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Because sunlight doesnt reach the depth of the Mariana Trench, there isnt any photosynthesis. No, it specialized in hunting whales which go up to the surface to breath air. In fact at one time giant squads we're myth and orangutans were the same as Bigfoot or the yeti. For Megalodon to live in the Marina Trench it would require an abundant food supply. I think the megaladon is still alive but we are very unsafe if it is, I believe the Megalodon is still out there but I dont know for sure because after that meteor hit earth the dinosaurs Went extinct and the Megalodon live in the Marian trench thats super deep But I dont know if it Lived or not. To put the length into perspective, in 1,500 miles you could fit all the states between Florida and Massachusetts. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. In fact, does anything live at those depths? Some sharks can lose entire sets of teeth every week, depending on what they eat. 2. However, most scientists agree that it would be impossible for a living megalodon colony to exist without our knowing about it. So how does a coastal predator go from munching on whales, pinnipeds, and massive turtles near shore to eating deep-diving creatures in the Marina Trench? The giant's terrifying jaws were lined with 276 teeth - measuring up to . Oxygen is essential to our survival. Experts believe that a third of the world's large marine creatures went extinct when the world's temperatures plummeted, including sea birds and turtles.