Does Megalodon Still exist?

[Mattshark]

Same family, mate. The white can regulate its body temperature as well but nowhere near to the extent the salmon shark can, might explain some of the white sightings off the coast of southern england though.

England's waters are more than warm enough to have great whites (hence we have porbeagle's and mako's too, our waters are relatively warm and much warmer than say Cape Town which is known to have white sharks), however, none of those sightings were great whites.

These sharks don't regulate their body temperature across their whole body though, they have what is known as regional endothermy, using counter current blood supply to warm certain areas of the body such as swimming muscles or the brain (like in the great white).

Edited April 29, 2010 by Mattshark

[Mattshark]

50% said yes????????????????

WTF?????????????????????

Sad isn't it.

[Bhoydonegood]

England's waters are more than warm enough to have great whites (hence we have porbeagle's and mako's too, our waters are relatively warm and much warmer than say Cape Town which is known to have white sharks), however, none of those sightings were great whites.

Seen porbeagles myself, didnt know UK waters were in a makos range though, interesting. As for the sightings most are probably misidentified, I agree, but there is one interesting video of a decent size white bellied shark breaching that if shot where said it was would suggest it was a great white. Ill hunt it up.

[TheSearcher]

Megalodon (gray and red) with the whale shark (violet), great white shark (green), and a human (blue) for scale. The maximum size attained by C. megalodon is indicated by the 20 m scale.

I find it hard to believe that people cannot make a difference between a whale shark, a great white and a megalodon. One would think that the sheer size difference would be a dead give away. I mean, even the conservative estimate of a Megalodon is the size of a schoolbus.

[daniel333]

Megalodon (gray and red) with the whale shark (violet), great white shark (green), and a human (blue) for scale. The maximum size attained by C. megalodon is indicated by the 20 m scale.

I find it hard to believe that people cannot make a difference between a whale shark, a great white and a megalodon. One would think that the sheer size difference would be a dead give away. I mean, even the conservative estimate of a Megalodon is the size of a schoolbus.

Well my guess is if people are really seeing something(not fabricating encounters),when people not familiar with sea life spot a 20 foot white shark(do they get that big?), or a whale shark, the lack of objects for size comparisons in the sea plus their own active imagination over exaggerates the size of the creature which gives birth to claims like "ZOMG Megaladon Still exist!!!!111111". It probably goes something like that IMO.

[Drago]

daniel: Except it doesn't go that way. There aren't any reports of massive sharks, not on Megalodon's scale. Twenty-five foot Great Whites? Then you're probably seeing the exaggeration you describe. But there aren't any real reports of sharks that are on a size-scale with Megalodon.

Megalodon doesn't even have encounters and blurry video. There's nothing.

(For continued rant, see: Link )

[daniel333]

daniel: Except it doesn't go that way. There aren't any reports of massive sharks, not on Megalodon's scale. Twenty-five foot Great Whites? Then you're probably seeing the exaggeration you describe. But there aren't any real reports of sharks that are on a size-scale with Megalodon.

Megalodon doesn't even have encounters and blurry video. There's nothing.

(For continued rant, see: Link )

I see. I dont know much about the cryptozoological views on Megaladon but if there arent even any unreliable reports and sightings of Megaladon, like even the most ridiculous of cryptids. Why does this thread even exist? and not only that, nearly half the people voting in this thread believe that they may still exist. It just blows my mind

[Drago]

Megalodon is discussed in Cryptozoology, because of the basic philosophy behind cryptozoology itself. Cryptozoologists make their points, not by offering evidence, but by and large by saying, "Why not?" Why should we think a giant ape is roaming North America in biologically feasible population numbers? "Why shouldn't we think a giant ape is roaming North America in biologically feasible population numbers?" Why should we think that there's a small lizardlike humanoid thing running around feasting on the blood of livestock? "Why shouldn't we think that there's a small lizardlike humanoid thing running around feasting on the blood of livestock?"

Likewise Megalodon. "Why shouldn't we think that Megalodon is still swimming our oceans?" And of course, when they're told, "Because we have no evidence of it," they then scamper off into that wonderful little hiding hole underneath, "But absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"

Megalodon is the revolving door of the cryptozoology world. The arguments can only go in circles.

[psyche101]

Blame Steve Alten.

Sad isn't it.

Ironic that. Unfortunately, that person is probably the biggest influence for Meg proponents, yet the one thing I get from all the hoaxes he has created to increase book sales, and got caught for, shows he thinks the average person with an interest in cryptozoology is as dumb as dog do-do, yet these people he treats like complete idiots still keep buying his books and keeping him afloat for the next attempt to rape our senses.

Are the majority of crypto people masochists?

Megalodon is discussed in Cryptozoology, because of the basic philosophy behind cryptozoology itself. Cryptozoologists make their points, not by offering evidence, but by and large by saying, "Why not?" Why should we think a giant ape is roaming North America in biologically feasible population numbers? "Why shouldn't we think a giant ape is roaming North America in biologically feasible population numbers?" Why should we think that there's a small lizardlike humanoid thing running around feasting on the blood of livestock? "Why shouldn't we think that there's a small lizardlike humanoid thing running around feasting on the blood of livestock?"

Likewise Megalodon. "Why shouldn't we think that Megalodon is still swimming our oceans?" And of course, when they're told, "Because we have no evidence of it," they then scamper off into that wonderful little hiding hole underneath, "But absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"

Megalodon is the revolving door of the cryptozoology world. The arguments can only go in circles.

Well said.

I guess the majority of crytpo's are masochists?

Edited April 30, 2010 by psyche101

[ShadowSot]

Ironic that. Unfortunately, that person is probably the biggest influence for Meg proponents, yet the one thing I get from all the hoaxes he has created to increase book sales, and got caught for, shows he thinks the average person with an interest in cryptozoology is as dumb as dog do-do, yet these people he treats like complete idiots still keep buying his books and keeping him afloat for the next attempt to rape our senses.

Are the majority of crypto people masochists?

How often do you check out the ancient civ forum? Same type of folks, fringe is fringe.

[psyche101]

How often do you check out the ancient civ forum? Same type of folks, fringe is fringe.

Rarely. People looking for Atlantis does my head in

[GreatFenris]

Ironic that. Unfortunately, that person is probably the biggest influence for Meg proponents, yet the one thing I get from all the hoaxes he has created to increase book sales, and got caught for, shows he thinks the average person with an interest in cryptozoology is as dumb as dog do-do, yet these people he treats like complete idiots still keep buying his books and keeping him afloat for the next attempt to rape our senses.

Are the majority of crypto people masochists?

I'm not sure many of those who believe in megalodons really could be counted as cryptoz, they strike me more as rabid fans of the man. I've had long chats over at IMDB with both them and mr Alten himself, at times it does really seem like he and his fans think the crap he writes to be real.

I could be wrong about him though, and it could all be a giant, elaborate ruse to lure more gullible fans in.

[bigdaddyinge]

i don't think megladons still exist, but i definately liked both "meg" and "the trench". good FICTION books. take em @ face value.

[Drago]

I enjoyed Meg, but it was really predictable and cliched.

[Mattshark]

I enjoyed Meg, but it was really predictable and cliched.

Is it as good as Megashark V Giant Octopus?

[sam12six]

Ironic that. Unfortunately, that person is probably the biggest influence for Meg proponents, yet the one thing I get from all the hoaxes he has created to increase book sales, and got caught for, shows he thinks the average person with an interest in cryptozoology is as dumb as dog do-do, yet these people he treats like complete idiots still keep buying his books and keeping him afloat for the next attempt to rape our senses.

Are the majority of crypto people masochists?

Well said.

I guess the majority of crytpo's are masochists?

I think it just proves that he's right in his assessment of the average crypto fan's intelligence.

[Mikezilla]

Everyone knows that the last of the Megalodons were destroyed by Trunko.....ah, I'm new and it's always best to open with a joke right? Ha......ha,ha??? Oh well. Seriously, Trunko is a cool beast, look him up if you aren't familiar.

Seriously though, if any Megs were still around they'd be in the same areas as your regular old Great Whites...probably eating Great Whites and a few dozen surfers.

[Black Hound]

<!--QuoteBegin-XANITHAR+May 30 2005, 02:02 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(XANITHAR @ May 30 2005, 02:02 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Awesome! Anybody who is intriqued by Megalodon Sharks should email me. We could be good friends! lol! I love Megalodon Sharks. I dream of going to South Carolina and finding some Megalodon Teeth in the sand. Of course I'm sure that will never happen, but damn I'd love to do that. I've bought some off ebay. They are Just AWESOME!!!! I'd die for a white tooth. The bigger, the sharper, the whiter, the more INCREDIBLE they are.

As for my theory if they are still alive. Well I honestly believe they never went extint. I think they lost their teeth as the ice age came along. Mass extinctions took place as new species arrived and become smaller. Sharks are like cockroaches. They are very resiliant to their environment. I think the Megaldons food source become slimmer, therefore they lost their teeth and began becoming more advanced as filter feeders (Whale Sharks)  Hey! It's crazy, but not a real bad theory.

And say some science wiz comes along and says" The whale shark has absolutely no ties with Great white/mako shark ancestry." Ok! I'm cool with that.

But some of the Megaldon teeth have been dated 10,000 years old. If that is ture and carbon dating is not wrong on those teeth, then we have an idea that these huge monsters survived the harshest conditions of a 100.000 year ice age. Perhaps they didn't quite make it to the modern age. But then again, what if Carbon Dating isn't accurate at all?

It seems a lot of animals around today are just smaller versions of their ancestors. What if the Megaldon just become a great white and the great white shark didn't really exist prior to the megalodon? 

I have no idea, but I'm just saying that the possiblity is there. The sea is HUGE! There are things we don't even know about living in our oceans. I once found a surf board with massive bite marks in it. I was thinking it brushed against some rocks and I'm sure that is all it was, but some times it makes me think. Damn what if that was some surfer who was eaten by a megalodon?

I wish more than anything I could see a megalodon. The size and fear it could instill would  be something just truely amazing to see.

647715[/snapback]

<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

i like the way you think <!--emo&--><img src='http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsup.gif' /><!--endemo--> i cant wait till the movie 'Meg' Comes out next year

I would like to think it does. After, what marine life form practically bit an Orca in half. Sae it on here or another site but it did happen.

[louisvilleseeker]

source?

[Clobhair-cean]

I would like to think it does. After, what marine life form practically bit an Orca in half. Sae it on here or another site but it did happen.

That was in the movie Jaws.

Edited May 1, 2010 by Clobhair-cean

[xYlvax]

I voted no, because we would've noticed a giant shark swimming around by now.

[GreatFenris]

Is it as good as Megashark V Giant Octopus?

I'd say worse, as Alten really enjoys to bake in quite infuriating "morale kills" in his books. Which is the main reason I despise the books, he's trying to get a morale opinion across while writing a Z-grade clone of Jawns

[Black Hound]

Too close to call.As I stated before, I sure there are some around. Might make surfing more a matter of survival and less of a sport.

[Mattshark]

Too close to call.As I stated before, I sure there are some around. Might make surfing more a matter of survival and less of a sport.

It is not close at all. These animals are massive and breed on the coast (this isn't something they can change, this is the only place with constant secure food). There isn't and realistic chance at all.

[danielost]

It simply can't exist, or one would have been caught or spotted. A creature of such size could only be hiding from science in the depths of the sea, but there is a problem with this: The Megalodon belongs to the genus Charcharodon, so its closest relative is the Great White, but the Mako and the Porbeagle are also close to it, and none of these are deep-sea species. It is highly improbable, that such a difference could occur in a family of animals(deep-sea living obviously requires different morphology, and that would place the Megalodon in a different family.) Furthermore a large, deep-sea carnivore could not find sufficient amounts of food, because as one goes lower, the animals tend to get smaller in order to be able to bear the pressure and a 16 meter shark could not wait for the occasional appearances of Sperm Whales and such animals, because they do not spend that much time in the great depths.

i think you forget the giant squid, which is what the sperm eats. the mega mouth is also a deep sea fish even tho it is a filter feeder.

Edited May 2, 2010 by danielost