Today I will be debunking the often popularized theory about the “megalodon” . I am writing this article to give more information about this conspiracy theory.
The general idea that is being spread across the internet is that the megalodon is hiding and lurking in the deep ends of the Abyssal zone and possibly the Hadal zone. However this claim is often overruled by the fact that no one has found a body yet. Naturally they would have died from the lack of food right?
Another popular take that people have is that they have evolved to be smaller and adjusted to also eat less. All the points people have been making have all been dulled out. Let’s say it evolved over time. At that point it would not have been a megalodon, it would be a new species. Furthermore there has not been any evidence or proof of that even taking place.
If the megalodon’s stomach took up a similar proportion of its body as the stomachs of living apex sharks, such as great whites, the team thinks the behemoth’s belly could have had a volume of around 2,537 gallons (9,605 liters), which is the equivalent to around 60 bathtubs.
People often love to take to the internet any time they see a really large fin or a silhouette in the water. For example In the year 1918 a man recorded the sensation that had been caused among the “outside” crayfish men at Port Stephens, when for several days, they refused to go to sea to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Broughton Island. The men had been at work on the fishing grounds, which lie in deep water , when an immense shark of almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance, lifting pot after pot containing many crayfish, and taking, as the men said, “pots, mooring lines and all”.
Later investigators found out that it was actually a large whale shark who most likely mistakenly got too close while feeding. Or even went up to the surface to keep warm. Not having any self regard for other animals that might be that size can often lead to misleading information. No matter how bad you want it to be, you should be more realistic and logical when spreading things around the internet. Also you should do more research before you take to social media considering people will believe anything you put out,as long as it is controversial or something that benefits them in a good way. The point is anytime you see a huge animal with big fins and a silhouette it does not automatically mean it is a megalodon.
However this still shouldn’t stop you from exploring other animals and doing your research other new big fin animals. Such as the big fin squid.It’s only been about 20 years since the bigfin squid family was officially described by scientists. One of those scientists was Mike Vecchione from NOAA Fisheries National Systematics Laboratory and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Sightings like this one often result in a call for the “squid phone.” While there’s no physical squid phone, it’s code for “get Mike.” Luckily, Mike was watching the dive from shore and was quick to call in to share his knowledge about the remarkable creature. Large fins and long appendages (eight arms and two tentacles) with elbow-like bends give the bigfin squid its distinctive appearance. These squid can exceed 6 meters (19.7 feet) in length. However, that’s mostly arms and tentacles. The largest known bigfin squid was 6.4 meters (21 feet) long. It’s arms and tentacles were 6.1 meters (20 feet) long. That’s 20 times the length of its body!
Even Though experiencing these encounters is rare. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. So why not do your research about these incredible animals instead of focusing on unclear analysis of the megalodon.
Emir Lewis – Mt. Carmel – DMSF Class of 2028
Photo by Johnson-Mortimer on DeviantArt