The transcript discusses the possibility of the prehistoric Megalodon shark still existing today. It covers historical sightings, theories of deep-sea adaptation, and scientific opinions on the likelihood of its survival. Despite extensive ocean exploration and no recent evidence, some believe it could be hiding in unexplored depths like the Mariana Trench. However, most experts consider its existence highly unlikely due to lack of recent findings, such as teeth or fossils. The fascination with Megalodon reflects our intrigue with prehistoric life and the mystery of the unexplored ocean.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Megalodons are no longer a threat to humans because the newest megalodon teeth found are still 2 million years old.
2. The idea of megalodons still being alive has become a popular opinion in recent times.
3. One of the more famous reports of a titan-sized shark comes from Port Stevens, Australia in 1918.
4. The encounter was recorded by a man named David Steed in his book "Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas".
5. The reported shark was apparently 115 feet in length, some of the fishermen said even bigger.
6. A study in June 2021 done at the Florida Museum of Natural History estimated the size of the megalodon at about 65 feet.
7. The full name of the megalodon used to be Carcharocles megalodon, which puts it in the same genus as the great white shark.
8. However, more evidence of both the megalodon and the great white shark's evolution has been found, and they are not as closely related as once thought.
9. The teeth of the megalodon are not as similar to a great white shark's as we used to think, but are still close enough to suggest similar diets.
10. In the mid 90s, Dr. Michael Gottfried, professor of vertebrate paleontology, did work trying to reconstruct the look of the megalodon.
11. He suggested it would have had a thick, robust head resulting in a more curved snout, and a more robust, thick body.
12. Other research suggests that its dorsal fin and tail were similar to that of a great white, though its pectoral fins were probably proportionally longer than a great white's.
13. The megalodon would have had counter shading, which is where the top half of the animal is dark and the bottom half is light.
14. A common feature in many sharks, it makes sense that the meg may have looked the same.
15. A 2016 video surfaced online showing a large shark swimming beside a ship off the coast of Japan in the Tsuruga Bay, but the shark was not a megalodon, it was a 22-foot Pacific sleeper shark.
16. A simulation was done in Zurich to try and calculate the likelihood of a megalodon surviving, and out of 10,000 simulations, only six said there was a 1% chance of the meg surviving.
17. Paleobiologist Megan Bach of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History said it's extremely unlikely that a megalodon is still alive and that we would have found a tooth by now.