Random Megalodons Were One Of The Most Horrifying Creatures To Swim The Seven Seas (13 items)

(#13) A Documentary On The Discovery Channel Fooled People Into Thinking It Still Existed

In 2013, the Discovery Channel kicked off its highly popular Shark Week with a "documentary" called Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. No indication was given that the piece was a work of fiction; instead, it features actors portraying scientists talking about hunting the creature. In the false narrative, a 67-foot-long megalodon terrorizes the coast of South Africa.
Scientific facts show that the continued existence of the megalodon is next to impossible. No teeth newer than 2.6 million years old have been found, intact or in pieces.
(#12) A Fake Japanese Video Supposedly Shows A Megalodon

In late 2016, footage emerged of an alleged modern day megalodon in Japan. The clip promised the shark shown in the footage measured more than 50 feet in length.
In reality, the video was from 2008, and the shark shown was a Pacific sleeper shark. They typically reach 23 feet in length.
(#1) It Was Larger Than Any Currently Living Shark

The megalodon reached lengths of 60 feet during its time at the top of the prehistoric food chain. At an average of 23 feet long, the great white shark is roughly the same length as its ancestor's male reproductive organ.

Whale and basking sharks are closer to the megalodon's size, but still fall short at 46 and 33 feet long, respectively.
(#5) The Great White Shark Likely Did Not Evolve From Its Big Cousin

Although the teeth of the great white and the megalodon are similarly shaped, the animals are different species. Scientists say great white teeth more closely resemble those of a mako shark.
(#8) Its Giant Teeth Have Been Found Around The World

In July 2017, a young boy vacationing with his family in Myrtle Beach, SC, found a 5-inch-long megalodon tooth. As of August 2016, Jud Keeling of Suffolk, VA, has found 280 of the fossilized chompers. Teeth have also been found in Italy and Croatia.
(#3) Its Fossil Record Is Incomplete Due To Its Skeletal Makeup

Shark skeletons contain lots of cartilage, which does not hold up well after death. As a result, the megalodon's fossil record is incomplete. Estimates of the shark's appearance are based on what scientists have available to them: its teeth. The characteristics of megalodon teeth have led scientists to believe they were housed in a broad jaw. Sharks with broad jaws generally have a shorter face, like the great white.

Data collected from baleen whale bones with megalodon tooth marks have allowed other theories to emerge about how the giant shark looked.

In 2022, a study published in Historical Biology confirmed that scientists are still searching for proof of what the megalodon actually looked like. "The reality is that there are presently no scientific means to support or refute the accuracy of any of the previously published body forms of Otodus megalodon," the researchers said.