There are many scary things in the ocean, but nothing as scary, big and deadly as the O. Megalodon. This ancient basking shark lived from about 25 million years ago to 2.5 years ago. Is the O. Megalodon still alive? Read it in this blog >>
Megalodons were huge: according to some estimates, they were about 20-25 metres long with jaws that weighed up to 5 tonnes.
The giant sharks possessed super abilities to defeat other large sea creatures such as whales or giant squids, which lived in the waters of this era before humans existed on earth! This giant shark is one of the largest predators that ever lived. Naturally, people are interested in the Megalodon and wonder: 'is the Megalodon extinct'? We explain it for you in this interesting blog.
Where did the Megalodon live?
The megalodon lived in most parts of the ocean (except near the poles). The Megalodon lived mainly in warmer waters. The young animals stayed on the coast, while the adults preferred coastal areas, but could also move to the open ocean. The northernmost fossils have been found off the coast of Denmark and the southernmost in New Zealand. The Megalodon lived in warmer waters, so the animal did not dive too deeply.
Until when did the Megalodon live?
The giant sharks that lived in the Earth's oceans until about 2.6 million years ago, during a period of cooling and drying out that closed the sea lanes between North America and South America as well as Eurasia to Africa, may have been the cause of their own extinction. The combination of environmental changes and rising land walls almost certainly disrupted marine food chains, including baleen whales (which feed on krill and zooplankton), which scientists believe were the Megalodons' main prey. When white sharks and early killer whales also became formidable competitors of megalodons, megalodons found less prey and their populations collapsed.
Can the Megalodon still live in the Mariana Trench?
There have been numerous sightings of the giant shark and some suggest that it may still live in the Mariana Trench - the deepest point of the ocean and one of the remaining places on Earth yet to be explored. But the Megalodon lived in warmer waters, not the cold depths. In addition, there would not be enough food for this giant predator, according to scientists.
Scientists keep finding new deep-sea creatures. But the evidence for Megalodon is not there. Let's look at the scientific evidence. Megalodon is just not an ocean creature, it was THE predator of the oceans. The evidence is not there that there is a large unnoticed predator that rules the oceans. I am sure there are plenty of other undiscovered animals, including new shark species swimming the oceans, but none of them will be a top predator like the Megalodon.
What is a great proof that the Megalodon is no longer alive?
The sharks would leave bite marks on other large marine animals, and their huge teeth would continue to cover the ocean floor by the tens of thousands and thus be discovered by divers, fishermen. However, recent Megalodon teeth have NEVER been found. The most recent ones are still over 2 million years old. Not to mention the fact that the Megalodon, as a warm-water species, would not be able to survive in the cold waters of the deep sea, where it would have a better chance of remaining undetected.
In short, Megalodon's habitat has disappeared, its food source has become extinct, and there are now other (smaller) top predators in the oceans that have taken Megalodon's place. There is simply no room, ecologically speaking, for a Megalodon to exist. So, to sum up... Otodus Megalodon is no longer alive, it became extinct about 2.5 - 3.5 million years ago.