Paleo-shark_hunter Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) I've been thinking for a REALLY long time now, is the Megalodon really extinct, or are we just assuming? I've been doing some reserch :geek: and heard about quite a few sightings, and how most people end up in mental homes after sighting the "monster" as they call it. And most of the sightings I've come across happen near Guam and Japan, narrowing it down to possibly the Marina Trench, the Most unexplored place on our planet. Another thing towards its survival is that if there were to be a population of Megs in the trench, the lower oxygen levels would decrease it's metabolism, another adaptation to limited food of the deep ocean, a last thought is that the Megalodon only died out (if it died out at all) a few thousand years ago, and thats fairly recent. I was wondering if I could get any second opinons on this, thanks Edited June 11, 2011 by Paleo-shark_hunter "Re-living History, one piece at a time..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diplotomodon Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 This particular topic about Megs and that elusive Marianas Trench is so intriguing that it even has its own book series. But actual giant sharks down there? I'm not inclined to believe it. What a wonderful menagerie! Who would believe that such as register lay buried in the strata? To open the leaves, to unroll the papyrus, has been an intensely interesting though difficult work, having all the excitement and marvelous development of a romance. And yet the volume is only partly read. Many a new page I fancy will yet be opened. -- Edward Hitchcock, 1858 Formerly known on the forum as Crimsonraptor @Diplotomodon on Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ummmmmmm, you might oughta just start working on a way to explore the bottom of the trench cuz there's bound to be a bunch of insterstin' stuff down there anyway. my guess is that if there's megs down there and you catch one you could sell it for lebenty million samolians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ...is the Megalodon really extinct, or are we just assuming?... Since you can't prove a negative, it is of course an assumption. Personally, I believe it is a well founded one. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel59 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 There was a show on Discovery that went down into the trench with a sub and had bells and whistles on it that could take pics outside of marine life that they saw and pick up samples. They never really got to see much down there in time they were there not much showed. I only saw jelly fishes and other weird inverts floating thru do not remember any fishes at all. So if that deep area is more unnhabitable I think the poor shark would starve to death. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) i remembered doing a project back in 6th grade about the mariana trench, and i stumbled across a very interesting article. it stated that japanese researchers have been exploring the trench recently for sharks, because they were cataloging some type of species count down project. so the researchers attached a huge chunk of meat on a hook, set up underwater cameras and weapons for extra protection. after a few bites from different species of deep water sharks, they suddenly all darted away. the researchers were all very confused, because this "phenomenon" never happened before. suddenly, this monstrous shark ripped off the hunk of meat and swam away. they were all caught on tape. the researchers were left stunned. no one said a word after that. i don't think megs are extinct either, PSH. if i find the same article anytime soon, it will definitely be here on the forum. Edited June 11, 2011 by fossil maniac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwin Ahoy Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 I've been thinking for a REALLY long time now, is the Megalodon really extinct, or are we just assuming? I've been doing some reserch :geek: and heard about quite a few sightings, and how most people end up in mental homes after sighting the "monster" as they call it. And most of the sightings I've come across happen near Guam and Japan, narrowing it down to possibly the Marina Trench, the Most unexplored place on our planet. Another thing towards its survival is that if there were to be a population of Megs in the trench, the lower oxygen levels would decrease it's metabolism, another adaptation to limited food of the deep ocean, a last thought is that the Megalodon only died out (if it died out at all) a few thousand years ago, and thats fairly recent. I was wondering if I could get any second opinons on this, thanks So recent, in fact, that I doubt it could change it's entire biology to the point to subsist in the deepest reaches of the ocean like that. Look at the long history of sharks leading up to it, and then to think it just flipped a switch and went trench-worthy, in all it's jellyfish-munching glory...meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ...suddenly, this "monstrous shark which was larger than a school bus" (sounds familiar?) ripped off the hunk of meat and swam away. they were all caught on tape. "the researchers were left stunned. no one said a word after that." the leader of the project declared this a top secret... Uh huh. What sounds familiar is the formula for urban myth. How 'bout some actual evidence? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Very unlikely to be alive. There would have to be a breeding population, which would require hundreds of individuals. No physical evidence has ever been found that they are alive. We found coelacanths, crinoids, monoplacophorans, etc., but we can't find a megashark? Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ordovician_Odyssey Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Very small amount of the ocean has been explored.. the question may be a god one. It would be quite the discovery. -Shamus The Ordovician enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Unless it turned filter feeder such as the Basking shark, Whale shark, Megamouth. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Very small amount of the ocean has been explored.. the question may be a god one. That is very true, but that part of the ocean is very big and very mobile. You would think one would end up in a trawler or wash up on the beach, or eat some tourist somewhere. I would speculate that there are no large vertebrates alive that are truly undiscovered. The ones that make the news are variations of something else, people knew about them, but didn't realize they were actually something different. I would go so far as to wager Mr. Tracer's cat that no living megalodon will ever be found. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Unless it turned filter feeder such as the Basking shark, Whale shark, Megamouth. Then it wouldn't be a megalodon, it would be a different species. Some of its relatives have survived, maybe great whites, if you are in that crowd, or maybe mako, if that is more your ilk. Are they direct descendents or evolved from close cousins? Hard to tell if you are mostly dealing with teeth. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 If there are living megs then there are recent teeth. I think it would be easier for scientists to explorse the bottom of the trench for teeth instead of the shark itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Actually, the youngest megalodon teeth are Late Pliocene in age or 2-3 million years old. Claims of teeth being only thousands of years old are just that...claims with no evidence. We would have caught one on video by now if it was alive. There could be large sharks in the Mariana Trench. Sixgills can exceed twenty feet and they frequent deepwater. I've been thinking for a REALLY long time now, is the Megalodon really extinct, or are we just assuming? I've been doing some reserch :geek: and heard about quite a few sightings, and how most people end up in mental homes after sighting the "monster" as they call it. And most of the sightings I've come across happen near Guam and Japan, narrowing it down to possibly the Marina Trench, the Most unexplored place on our planet. Another thing towards its survival is that if there were to be a population of Megs in the trench, the lower oxygen levels would decrease it's metabolism, another adaptation to limited food of the deep ocean, a last thought is that the Megalodon only died out (if it died out at all) a few thousand years ago, and thats fairly recent. I was wondering if I could get any second opinons on this, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) Uh huh. What sounds familiar is the formula for urban myth. How 'bout some actual evidence? i think someone copied the article contents onto the links... http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message890306/pg1 http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19412 Edited June 11, 2011 by fossil maniac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 is what you're looking for. However, we already know that large sharks exist; and we can trace their existence back through the fossil record. However, this is not the case with the megalodon which has no recent fossil evidence. As for the trench hypothesis, it is hard to imagine that a coastal shark changed its habitat so completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy784 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 I couldn'r understand a single word they were saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 teh ginat sharks dint die off. you know how you go near the edge of water and fish see you and flee remarkably into teh deeper water, sometimes scaring days or so off yer life? well, the ginormous snarks did that too, becept they went to super-deep places like the marianas gully, where they dove down. but what happened when they did that i think is that the huge pressure from water weight squeezed the crud out of them and they shrunked. so if you get a submarine and go down there you just see regular size sharks and if you catch one on a line and try to haul it up, it explodes from teh depressuration and you catch nothing. the only person who could catch one right would be troy from pierre part but he's always busy with alligarters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoc Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 is what you're looking for. However, we already know that large sharks exist; and we can trace their existence back through the fossil record. However, this is not the case with the megalodon which has no recent fossil evidence. As for the trench hypothesis, it is hard to imagine that a coastal shark changed its habitat so completely. Pacific Sleeper Shark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_sleeper_shark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleo-shark_hunter Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) That is very true, but that part of the ocean is very big and very mobile. You would think one would end up in a trawler or wash up on the beach, or eat some tourist somewhere. I would speculate that there are no large vertebrates alive that are truly undiscovered. The ones that make the news are variations of something else, people knew about them, but didn't realize they were actually something different. I would go so far as to wager Mr. Tracer's cat that no living megalodon will ever be found. Brent Ashcraft The reason For not washing up on beaches, is because sharks, unlike mammals/reptiles,birds, and some species of fish, sink when they die, unless it were to beach it'self, or a pretty strong current were to wash it up. Sharks are also one of those animals that don't like to cooperate, when they die, they don't leave behind a skeleton for us to find, just some teeth and vertebrae, they also have no phisical need to surface to flash a tell-tale dorsal fin, they can stay down at the bottom of the sea for generations and we could never find them. another thing keeping them down deep, is the water temputure. Say it's about 70 degreese topside, as you dive to the bottom, the temputure dramatically drops to just above, or just below freezing. As you near the bottom, the temputure is maintained at a resaonable temputure, because of the hydrothermal vents along its floor. Edited June 11, 2011 by Paleo-shark_hunter "Re-living History, one piece at a time..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 The reason For not washing up on beaches, is because sharks, unlike mammals/reptiles,birds, and some species of fish, sink when they die, unless it were to beach it'self, or a pretty strong current were to wash it up. Sharks are also one of those animals that don't like to cooperate, when they die, they don't leave behind a skeleton for us to find, just some teeth and vertebrae, they also have no phisical need to surface to flash a tell-tale dorsal fin, they can stay down at the bottom of the sea for generations and we could never find them. another thing keeping them down deep, is the water temputure. Say it's about 70 degreese topside, as you dive to the bottom, the temputure dramatically drops to just above, or just below freezing. As you near the bottom, the temputure is maintained at a resaonable temputure, because of the hydrothermal vents along its floor. And what about the incredible pressures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleo-shark_hunter Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 And what about the incredible pressures? It may be the very same way that large sixgill sharks survive in that enviroment, by keeping the internal pressure the same as the pressure in the surrounding area, also, being a shark, the sea "flows through them" since they don't have lungs, but gills "Re-living History, one piece at a time..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexx Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 I think that if you weigh in all the pros and cons of the possibility that a shark that size has survived unnoticed by mankind and has retained at the same time its enormous mass, what is left is nothing more than wishful thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 My understanding is that Megalodons most likely fed on whales, which were abundant up until the Pliocene and declined in numbers during the Pleistocene. Certainly whale numbers are way down since they have been hunted by humans. As Ashcraft pointed out, you need a minimum population size (several hundred to a few thousand) to avoid inbreeding and extinction. Adam and Eve really won't cut it. Also, if populations get too small males and females can't effectively find each other to mate in the open ocean. What do you suggest living Megalodons might be feeding on? If it's whales, firstly I doubt there are enough whales to serve the purpose, and why don't we find whales with Megalodon-sized bites? We knew about giant squid from sucker marks on sperm whales before any specimens were collected. If Megalodons still exist but feed on jellyfish, why would they continue to have giant teeth? If they don't have the teeth, then they aren't Megalodons any more, are they? I think I'd rather believe them to be extinct, than to think they had evolved into a species of toothless jellyfish suckers. Somehow, that seems like an ignominious fate for such a magnificent predator. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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