Much mystery and intrigue surrounds Megalodon, the giant shark of prehistoric times. To this day the giant sharks’ size, lineage and preference for warm or cold waters are still a matter of debate. Adding to the mystique is the widespread belief that this enormous, predatory creature of the deep may still exist.
The scientific community holds that Megalodon went extinct about 1.5 to 2 million years ago and thrived for around 15 million years. Believed to be of enormous size and very powerful, the giant shark is thought to be one of the greatest predators of all time. Megalodon’s size and weight are still viewed by some as a virtual unknown. Since all sharks are mostly made up of cartilage, only teeth, a few partial jaws and some vertebrae show up in the fossil record.
However, several methods of determining Megalodon’s approximate size have been proposed over the years and give the giant shark a range of 52 to 82 feet in length. But a more accurate supposition can be given for Megalodons jaws size and comes from the recreations of the partial fossils discovered. At over 7 feet across the jaws house 5 rows of approximately 276 teeth; one tooth on record measures over 7 inches long.
Scientists, going off of the fact that Megalodon’s teeth closely resemble those of the great white shark, originally suggested the giant shark would also closely resemble a great white in appearance. In recent years, however, this idea has been contested and a new theory has been proposed that Megalodon may actually be closer to the maco shark.
While the scientific debate over Megalodon as a prehistoric predator continues there are those who aren’t quite certain the giant shark couldn’t, or even doesn’t, still survive to this day.
Fueling this belief are fairly recent, eye-opening discoveries in the ocean. The Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish believed to have been extinct for 60 million years, was caught by fishermen in 1938. Also discovered is a new species of shark originally unknown to science; this new shark has been measured at 15 feet in length.
More tantalizing ideas abound about the possible existence of Megalodon. Theorists argue that since only an estimated 5% of the world’s oceans have been explored (an even lesser percentage is given to known biology), who is to say what is, or isn’t, out there?
Theorists also point out the great depths some sharks are known to dive to as well as the fact that if current sea life can sustain a 60 foot sperm whale then it could also sustain a Megalodon.
As fascinating as all of this sounds, there is still nothing concrete to prove Megalodons current existence. And until fresh evidence, like one of the thousands of teeth Megalodon would have to be shedding each year or even a carcass, is discovered, this giant shark will remain prehistoric.
For more information please visit these sites:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/megalodon
www.elasmo-research.org/education/megalodon_lives.htm