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Does Megalodon Still exist?


Invisigoth

Is Meg still swimming the sea's?  

214 members have voted

  1. 1. Is Meg still swimming the sea's?

    • yes
      105
    • no
      109


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There are lots of reports of Megalodon being alive. What do you think could it still be out there?

I've been reading about sharks and collecting fossil teeth since I was a kid and i'd love to discuss the subject.

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Well, I think it sure is possible that it still exists.

But I got a question. A couple of months ago I read an article about Japanese research. They dropped a container into a ocean trench. This container was filled with food and rigged with a motion activated camera.

In one of the shots made by the camera, they saw a huge shadow of some kind of fish (or whale). As far a I recall the sharks eating the bait in the container al swiftly left the container as soon as the shadow came into the picture.

This shadow was estimated to belong to a 60m long animal.

Can anyone point me to this article again? And to other articles about follow-ups on this research? I like to know what's going on.

These kind of things surely make one believe megalodon is still out there. It's a big ocean and we're very small.

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I think it was a Pacfic Sleeper shark that bumped into the camera

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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.

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon. I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier . I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

Edited by Invisigoth
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Interesting topic. But I sure wouldn't want to swim and see one at the same time! tongue.gif I chose the

no on the poll.

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i vote yes. ocean is to big to declare it 'extinct' just cuz no one seen it around for so long

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .  I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

as i understand it the genus Carcharocles is the ancestor of the mako.

the evidence is suggesting that the megalodon is the ancestor of the modern day mako,

the great whites ancestor is at the moment undiscovered and was most likely a regular sized shark.

yes.gif

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .  I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

Well, a perfect taxonomical categorisation is quite an impossible task, because the only things that has ever been found in context with the Megalodon are its teeth...

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .   I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

Well, a perfect taxonomical categorisation is quite an impossible task, because the only things that has ever been found in context with the Megalodon are its teeth...

646449[/snapback]

How lucky for us that we commonly identify shark species by the shape of their teeth then

lol w00t.gif

Edited by marduk
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I voted yes. I think that the ocean is too big for us to assume that we've found all living species of sharks.

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oh not again.....looks like there's a topic on Meg every 2 weeks now.....should we make it a permanent topic on the site?

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oh not again.....looks like there's a topic on Meg every 2 weeks now.....should we make it a permanent topic on the site?

647056[/snapback]

Sorry, i'll be sure to check with you first before posting a new topic.

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I agree, the ocean is vast and we know very little about what's all out there. My 8 year old son really love the idea of huge sharks. Megalodon is a big hit in our house. Other than that, I'm lost on the whole shark evolutionary tree, but I am interested to read what you all have posted.

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .   I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

Well, a perfect taxonomical categorisation is quite an impossible task, because the only things that has ever been found in context with the Megalodon are its teeth...

646449[/snapback]

How lucky for us that we commonly identify shark species by the shape of their teeth then

lol w00t.gif

646758[/snapback]

True, but without having a complete jaw, or some sense of the body shape, the Charcharodon/Charcharocles debate can't be settled. Different lamnoid teeth can be really similar...

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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .   I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

Well, a perfect taxonomical categorisation is quite an impossible task, because the only things that has ever been found in context with the Megalodon are its teeth...

646449[/snapback]

How lucky for us that we commonly identify shark species by the shape of their teeth then

lol w00t.gif

646758[/snapback]

True, but without having a complete jaw, or some sense of the body shape, the Charcharodon/Charcharocles debate can't be settled. Different lamnoid teeth can be really similar...

647066[/snapback]

There have been vertebrae from Megalodon found as well. And as far as the teeth go other than being triangular the teeth are pretty different from each other.

Between the great white and Meg that is.

Edited by Invisigoth
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I tend to agree with what you said though I support the idea that Megalodon should be listed in the genus Carcharocles instead of Charchaodon.  I think the line of sharks that evolved into Meg broke off much Earlier .   I also think that the White shark evolved from a line of prehistoric Mako sharks and not Megalodon.

646354[/snapback]

Well, a perfect taxonomical categorisation is quite an impossible task, because the only things that has ever been found in context with the Megalodon are its teeth...

646449[/snapback]

How lucky for us that we commonly identify shark species by the shape of their teeth then

lol w00t.gif

646758[/snapback]

True, but without having a complete jaw, or some sense of the body shape, the Charcharodon/Charcharocles debate can't be settled. Different lamnoid teeth can be really similar...

647066[/snapback]

There have been vertebrae from Megalodon found as well. And as far as the teeth go other than being triangular the teeth are pretty different from each other.

Between the great white and Meg that is.

647067[/snapback]

Of course there is a difference between the two's teeth, because they are different species(the teeth of a grey wolf and a bulldog are quite different although they are in the same genus, namely Canis). And from a single vertebrae(they re extremely rare, because cartilage is not usually fossilized) not much can be found out.

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has anyone thought about near a deep sea trench or 'really deep' sea? hmm.gifhuh.gif

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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.

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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]

i like the way you think thumbsup.gif i cant wait till the movie 'Meg' Comes out next year

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Theres another Megalodon Movie coming out next year?

I'm am so crossing my finger hoping it's decent. I've seen a bunch of Megaldon movies and they....>SUCK!

Poor story lines, poor actors, Well B movies just to say the least! Bad animation.

The teen party boat where everyone gets eaten except for the blonde bimbo and super dumbo macho man retard always survive. Or its the dumb blonde bimbo and super lame scientist who discover the Megaldon and kill it with a bottle of hairspray or a 2 liter of Pepsi Blue. lol!

Oh yeah or the Shark surviving from the Thermal Oceanic vents behind a massive cave of rocks. LOL!

Damn! I'm crossing my fingers hoping this new movie is at least somewhat respectable!

Now you got me curious. I gotta go research this!

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Theres another Megalodon Movie coming out next year?

I'm am so crossing my finger hoping it's decent. I've seen a bunch of Megaldon movies and they....>SUCK!

Poor story lines, poor actors, Well B movies just to say the least! Bad animation.

The teen party boat where everyone gets eaten except for the blonde bimbo and super dumbo macho man retard always survive. Or its the dumb blonde bimbo and super lame scientist who discover the Megaldon and kill it with a bottle of hairspray or a 2 liter of Pepsi Blue. lol!

Oh yeah or the Shark surviving from the Thermal Oceanic vents behind a massive cave of rocks. LOL!

Damn! I'm crossing my fingers hoping this new movie is at least somewhat respectable!

647747[/snapback]

Oh yippee, another shark bashing movie. 'But it's OK, these are extinct sharks'. Oh yeah? Think the average Joe is going to know the difference between a megalodon and a Great White?

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As i have posted many many times, and i will yet again, The ocean is a VERY BIG PLACE. And things evolve. The Megladon may not be what it once was, but i believe it to be out there somewhere.

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There is a wee problem with this "megalodon evolved" theory: If the Megalodon changed, then its not a Megalodon anymore so it is extinct. The Australipithecus is also extinct no matter it evolved into Homo Sapiens.

And if there are living megs, why didn't anyone in the past decades found a single, recent tooth? Sharks tend to loose enormous amounts of teeth during their lifetime, it can be measured in thousand or even hundred thousands...

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We know more about some other planets than we do about the deepest parts of the ocean, and

The ocean is a VERY BIG PLACE.

648122[/snapback]

indeed. If creatures spend all their lives in the deep ocean, any remains of them are likely to sink to the sea bed, where we've only begun to scratch the surface of exploring. So i think it's quite plausible that no remains have been discovered.

But the evolution question is a sticky one; if there are creatures still living that were there in prehistoric times, that does raise a few questions doesn't it? disgust.gif

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