Possible Megalodon in Mariana trench

[Jeenuh]

It says the footage wasn't released? >/

I'm sceptical, since there was only one source of it? :/

Could happen though.

[jessicalawes11]

Wow... How much would I love to see that footage...

Shame they're not releasing it. It would be certain proof of weird... Stuff, down there. Must be an interesting video.

[Richdog]

People seem to forget that Megalodon was a warm-water shark that was similar to the great white in hunting habits. It was not a deep-water shark that liked cold environs... so the chances of it being in the deepest, darkest trench in the world are miniscule if by the also miniscule chance that some still live. It will be a different creature.

And yes, I would also kill to see the footage. And one has to also wonder why there has not been a documentary about it, along with multiple repeat experiments, along with a well-funded team charged specifically with finding out what it is...

I am wary of any MAJOR find that is never publicised by authentic scientific sources... the reason being why the hell wouldn't you want to make it instantly known to the scientific community?

[indeed]

And one has to also wonder why there has not been a documentary about it,

I've seen the footage a few times on National Geographic channel documentary about animals that live in the deep oceans,a few years back.

Also whenever the programmes are running early they sometimes have a "best of NG" on for a few minutes and I regualy see the footage. Im astonished that it isn't online somewhere

[Richdog]

Hmm mmusn't have been aired in the UK then that's why I haven't seen it. How clear is the footage?

[indeed]

Its clear, and its just like they said.

Whatever type of shark it was was massive. Looked kind of like the sleeper sharks pics on google.

[Richdog]

So if the footage was clear why is the scientific community not buzzing about it...?

[TheCrow]

There are several Megolodon movies..

There is a German made for TV thing

Shark Attack 3: Megalodon starring John Barrowman (Captain Jack in the new Doctor Who)

Megalodon from 2004 about a deep sea drilling expedition for oil that accidentally opens a fissure, revealing a second ocean below ours and a Megalodon comes through to our ocean...

Steve Alten's Meg is been made in for a movie, possibly to be released in 2006 if they can get production off the ground.

"From the director of "Speed" and "Twister" comes the film adaptation of Steve Alten's National Bestseller about the hunt for an eighty foot long, 100,000 pound Megalodon shark, the most deadly predator of all time."

It was said that the movie would focus more on the humans than the shark and you wouldn't see the shark all that often. It would be more like a shadow stalking them, going for the 'Less you see if scarier' thing, which to me is dumb... I mean you go to a movie like this to see giant monsters killing people lol.

Edited July 10, 2005 by TheCrow

[Rakarin02]

Possible Megalodon in Mariana trench

They have been hiding in the dark ocean deeps for millions of years. People have never seen live sleeping sharks as well as giant squids. Only once, in 1964, a bulk of a dead sleeping shark was cast ashore in Indonesia; it was just a very young shark judging by its size of 26 meters. ..PRAVDA 9/20/03

Daaggh!!!! PRAVDA!!!!

Ok, let me share this as gracefully as possible. 99.9% of what you read from Pravda is what you find southward of a north-facing sick elephant.

Pravda is what remains of the old USSR government controlled newspaper. With the fall of the USSR, they were left with no guidance and very little funding. (Most of their stories were given to them pre-written by the government, so they had very little research and reporting background.) Pravda tried to sruvive as a legitimate news organization. However, after being a government mouthpiece for so long, no one trusted them or anything they printed. The Soviet Union's largest newspaper was doomed to financial collapse within months after the fall.

Then, they took inspiration (out of desperation) from US tabloids. They started making up stories, the type you would find in a US celebrity gossip rag like The National Enquirer. To their shock, they found that people were drawn to the sensationalism. Their sales went up. Pravda did this again, with more outlandish stories, like the US tabloids The Weekly World News or The Sun. Their sales soared (comparitively), as people were living in very troubled times and clung to escapism.

So, Pravda became the Russian equivalent of the US tabloids, but with a distribution like a large newspaper. They will openly admit to foreign reportes that they make most of their stories up. Granted, some are well written, but they are still pure fantasy. Do yourself a favor, and mentally blot out anything you see attributed to Pravda.

[Jeenuh]

People seem to forget that Megalodon was a warm-water shark that was similar to the great white in hunting habits.  It was not a deep-water shark that liked cold environs... so the chances of it being in the deepest, darkest trench in the world are miniscule if by the also miniscule chance that some still live.  It will be a different creature.

725307[/snapback]

Couldn't it just evolve? Not change appearence but adapt to living further down, and living in cold water. It wouldn't make them a different animal, they'd just be more adapted. I'm sure other animals have done that before.

[Richdog]

Couldn't it just evolve? Not change appearence but adapt to living further down, and living in cold water. It wouldn't make them a different animal, they'd just be more adapted. I'm sure other animals have done that before. 

725462[/snapback]

For an entire species of shark to completely change it's habits and "evolve" to massively deep and dark trenches is pretty unlikely, especially since it would mean an eyesight/senses change. It would not be the same animal, and could not retain it's appearence due to needing to evolve to deep-sea.

here's a good summary... http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/megcomment.html

Megalodon was quite ill-suited for the deep sea, being a large, active predator of whales (at least in a scavenging capacity) and large fish, much like the modern-day great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The deep-sea is a harsh environment, with sporadic food sources, cold temperatures, and high pressure; the animals that live there have many adaptations to deal with these stresses, including temperature and pressure insenstitive enzymes, lowered metabolisms and reduced skeletal and muscle development. As a near-shore surface dweller, megalodon almost certainly had none of these specializations. To assume that megalodon had or could have evolved the intense physiological specializations of deep-sea animals is extremely unlikely

Edited July 10, 2005 by Richdog

[vargoje3]

I would just like to say that the article doesnt sound too convincing because the information that they gave for the Megaladon extinction was way off. It died out as recently as 60,000 years ago during the Eocene period. Also the shark never got as big as the article described, at best it was 50 feet long.

Edited July 10, 2005 by vargoje3

[Richdog]

Yes you are right about the size... but many, many articles display that information as that was what the scientists first guessed, and if you notice... the article I posted was printed in 1999... and six years ago it was commonly thought that Megalodon grew to 70+ feet. The date it became extinct was also varying in many opinions.

However the rest of the information, the stuff relevant to what I was discussing, the fact it would have to change so dramatically to turn form a shallow water predator to a deep-sea one... is pretty sound.

[vargoje3]

I would agree with you because it has been proven by finding fossilized whale bones that Megalodons preyed on these animals. Much like todays great whites it was thought they were ambush predators that swam up took one great bite out of now extinct whales and let them bleed to death before coming back to feed on the carcass. They were not deep sea predators at all due to the fact that whales being mammals needed to stay in the shallower ocean depths.

[Jacqueline]

Couldn't it just evolve? Not change appearence but adapt to living further down, and living in cold water. It wouldn't make them a different animal, they'd just be more adapted. I'm sure other animals have done that before. 

725462[/snapback]

For an entire species of shark to completely change it's habits and "evolve" to massively deep and dark trenches is pretty unlikely, especially since it would mean an eyesight/senses change. It would not be the same animal, and could not retain it's appearence due to needing to evolve to deep-sea.

here's a good summary... http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/megcomment.html

Megalodon was quite ill-suited for the deep sea, being a large, active predator of whales (at least in a scavenging capacity) and large fish, much like the modern-day great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The deep-sea is a harsh environment, with sporadic food sources, cold temperatures, and high pressure; the animals that live there have many adaptations to deal with these stresses, including temperature and pressure insenstitive enzymes, lowered metabolisms and reduced skeletal and muscle development. As a near-shore surface dweller, megalodon almost certainly had none of these specializations. To assume that megalodon had or could have evolved the intense physiological specializations of deep-sea animals is extremely unlikely

725493[/snapback]

The reality however is that there are thermal vents in the deep ocean which emit water comprised of hydrogen sulfide. Due to the lack of light at the depths of places like the Mariana Trench, and also the fact that no human diver could withstand the pressure there (16,000 lbs per square inch), who can really say that the Meg really did not survive there? Recent studies have suggested that other prehistoric marine life there has remained unchanged and also has extraordinary long life spans. Something as huge as the Meg would probably have ducked for cover when the last ice age (10,000 yrs ago) occurred at a very rapid rate partly attributed to a major polar reversal which facilitated a violent and sudden climate change. The Coelacanth was previously thought to be extinct for 65 million years, however a live Coelacanth was accidently caught in a fishing net in 1936. The metabolism of these great sized fish is thought to withstand extreme conditions. Furthermore, for a Meg to swim near the shore seems a bit stranger than a Meg hanging out in the Mariana Trench because a Meg is about the size of a Greyhound Bus with a hell of alot more girth. Wouldn't something that big have problems navigating shallower waters due to its need for more buoyancy to convey itself about with? I personally would not rule anything out about a real live Meg. I just doubt that it really came in close to shore because it is a huge heavy fish that needs its weight supported by very deep water to enable it to keep swimming.

However, I NOW have a new healthy fear of going swimming in the ocean in light of the recent shark attacks (caused mostly by bull sharks) near shores frequented by people here in the US on the Atlantic coast! I used to think nothing of letting the rip tides carry me far out off the shore and then swim across at a 90 degree to catch the incoming current (the tides) and let it carry back to shore. Knowing now that sharks noted for attacking humans dwell there and also the stats showing that 90% of all shark attacks occur in water 10-5 ft deep, I DEFINITELY will not ever swim in the ocean - ever again!

[Need_Blood]

Chances are lives deeper than normal but strays upwards for food. Nothing that big could survive on so little so far below unless they eat giant squid. I think it might be a giant sperm whale

[Need_Blood]

I would just like to say that the article doesnt sound too convincing because the information that they gave for the Megaladon extinction was way off.  It died out as recently as 60,000 years ago during the Eocene period.  Also the shark never got as big as the article described, at best it was 50 feet long.

725512[/snapback]

But they found Celocaths and they were supposed to be extinct when the dinos died but this one might survive because they darkness wouldn't affect them or the dust because it will be wash to shore. And if the whales or sharks die them they float to the bottom so they sleeper can eat them

[isis-999]

The Megalodon was such a large animal, I do not see how it could hid from humans for all this time, It was not only eat a large amount of food, It woulds be hard for the subs not to be attacked by such a animal, think about it! The change of our military not running into this animal would be very slim, As it would be in about the same depth of water. I just don't see how it could have made it this far un noticed

[Talon]

My god, I started this thread over a year ago IT'S STILL AROUND?!!!

Edited August 17, 2005 by Talon

[Azalin]

The Megalodon was such a large animal, I do not see how it could hid from humans for all this time, It was not only eat a large amount of food, It woulds be hard for the subs not to be attacked by such a animal, think about it! The change of our military not running into this animal would be very slim, As it would be in about the same depth of water. I just don't see how it could have made it this far un noticed

795132[/snapback]

From what I believe, subs really cannot go that far down, the pressure would turn it into a tin can, but Im not submarine expert. Many things are deep down in the water that we have yet to explore, since Sharks are 90% cartiledge they can really handle the deep, and the pressure.

I highly doubt we would know anything in the water. There is more water then solid ground in the world, and we are still trying to track down bigfoots, mothman, giant dogs, and other physical land beasts.

[fallingalien]

This creature was talked about in the bible.

[Azalin]

This creature was talked about in the bible.

795182[/snapback]

are you referring to Leviathan ?

[isis-999]

AZALIN, My ex- husband was a Navy Officer on a boomer sub they go alot deeper then you think, But the point i was making was a creature this large would take alot of food to live, and i would think it would have to come up to hunt since the creature's living that deep would not be large enough to feed some thing of this size.

[Azalin]

AZALIN, My ex- husband was a Navy Officer on a boomer sub they go alot deeper then you think, But the point i was making was a creature this large would take alot of food to live, and i would think it would have to come up to hunt since the creature's living that deep would not be large enough to feed some thing of this size.

795206[/snapback]

I didn't know a whole lot about subs, I thought I would be wrong. I do agree a creature of that size would have to feed a lot. I know crocidiles can digest there food over a year period, so they don't necessarily eat that much.

I beleive sharks eat a lot more though...gah, Im out of my league here, I really don't know much about sharks, but they really do interest me, and always thought prehistoric creatures could live down in the deep.

[LisaMHD]

I have always have been interested in sharks, and the thought of a Meg existing really facinates me. Yes, Megs were warm water sharks, but you forget that the Mariana Trench is warm water, even that deep. There are fisures(sp?), underwater volcanic vents that super heat the water even at that amazing depth.

One reason the Meg may not have been discovered as of yet is that if it does exist in these great depths, its used to complete darkness. It would be afraid or nervous of bright light, especially sun light. If it came to the surface to feed at all, it would feed at night, the same as many deep sea creatures. That would explain no or rare suspected sightings of a Megolodon.