While the thought of something like The Meg existing outside of the world of film seems pretty terrifying, there is such thing as the Megalodon shark.
And many people really do believe the absolute whopper species are still out there in the ocean.
But others agree the Megalodon is extinct and its existence today is along the same lines of the likelihood of Nessie or Big Foot being real.
Advert
Although there’s so much we don’t know about what’s lurking out there in the ocean, scientists think they have answer to whether or not the mega sharks are still swimming about in the sea.
What is a Megalodon shark?
The Megalodon is biggest shark that ever lived and is even bigger than the whopper whale shark.
Explorers at OceanX describe them as about the ‘size of two average US school buses’.
Estimated to be somewhere between 10.5 to 21 metres in length and it’s said they could weigh anything between 48 to 103 tonnes.
Advert
It’s believed the sharks lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago but with films like The Meg, people think they could possibly still be out there.
Where could they be living?
Some people believed Megalodon sharks could be hiding far down in the ocean, keeping out of sight of scientists and explorers - just like the 2018 film, The Meg.
However, previous research finds that the species like warmer waters, whereas the ocean gets cooler the deeper you go.
What do scientists think?
The theory is that if the shark did happen to be around, there would be bite marks on other sharks from attempted attacks.
Advert
There would also be ‘recently shed Megalodon teeth’ found on the seafloor
and ‘there would be traces of Megalodon DNA in sediment and water samples’.
“So, no, there’s no chance that the Meg is winning the world’s best game of hide and seek. But there are many creatures in the ocean that have yet to be discovered,” said OceanX.
Advert
Emma Bernard, an expert at Natural History Museum, also said: “It's definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past.
“If an animal as big as Megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it.”
Why did they go extinct?
The Megalodon is believed to have gone extinct a couple millions of years ago when the planet entered a phase of global cooling.
Advert
A drop in ocean temperatures likely resulted in a significant loss of the shark’s habitat and may have also meant its prey went extinct or moved to where the sharks couldn’t.
So, panic over, the Meg’s not coming to eat us.
Featured Image Credit: Getty stock imagesTopics: Science, Animals, Sharks