Myths

Megalodon myths, checked

Is megalodon still alive? No. Here is how we know, and nine other myths.

How this site works. Every fact is in our own words and linked to its source, beside it. Megalodon is known almost only from teeth, so many numbers are estimates. Where good sources disagree, we show each version in a “Sources differ” box.

Is megalodon still alive?

It is definitely not alive in the deep ocean. If an animal that big were still out there, we would know about it. NHM

There have been no confirmed sightings of a living or dead modern megalodon. NHM, still alive?

Megalodon teeth are only found in sea rocks 20 to 3.6 million years old. None younger has ever been found, so it went extinct 3.6 million years ago. NHM, still alive?

Myths vs facts

1. MythMegalodon is still alive in the deep ocean.

   FactIt is definitely not alive in the deep ocean. If an animal that big were still out there, we would know about it. NHM Below about 3,000 metres there is barely any food, and no sharks live much deeper than that. NHM, still alive? As a warm-water species, it could not survive in the cold water of the deep sea anyway. NHM

2. MythThere have been sightings of living megalodons.

   FactThere have been no confirmed sightings of a living or dead modern megalodon. NHM, still alive? A 1918 report from fishermen off eastern Australia described a shark 31 to 95 metres long stealing lobster pots. It may have been a whale shark. NHM, still alive?

3. MythIf a megalodon were alive, we would never notice.

   FactNo living sea animals have been seen with megalodon-sized bite marks. NHM, still alive? Whale sharks, up to 18 metres long, are rarely seen, yet we know they are the largest living sharks. NHM, still alive?

4. MythTeeth dredged up in 1875 prove megalodon survived until recently.

   FactTwo megalodon teeth dredged up by the Challenger expedition in 1875 were claimed in 1959 to be only tens of thousands of years old. That claim was disproved in the 1970s. NHM, still alive?

5. MythA TV documentary proved megalodon is still out there.

   FactA 2013 US documentary, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, used faked photos and footage, and its ‘scientists’ were hired actors. NHM, still alive?

6. MythMegalodon was just a giant great white.

   FactFor a long time people thought megalodon was a relative of the great white. The museum’s expert says we now know it came from a different lineage of shark, and was the last member of it. NHM Most reconstructions show megalodon as an enormous great white shark. The Natural History Museum says this is now believed to be wrong. NHM

7. MythWe know exactly how big megalodon was.

   FactOnly estimates are possible, because nearly all megalodon fossils are teeth. NHM news, 2022 Older length estimates, based on tooth size, suggest a maximum of 15 to 18 metres. NHM A 2025 study by 29 fossil shark experts found that megalodon may have grown up to 24.3 metres long. NHM

8. MythMuseums have complete megalodon skeletons.

   FactNo one has ever found a complete megalodon skeleton. NHM So most of what we know comes from its teeth, its vertebrae (which contain calcium and so are preserved) and fossilised poop. Smithsonian

9. MythMegalodon lived alongside the dinosaurs.

   FactThe earliest megalodon fossils date to 23 million years ago, and it became extinct 3.6 million years ago. NHM

10. MythMegalodon is a shark and nothing else.

    FactThe short name megalodon is also the name of a genus of clams, which can cause confusion among scientists. Smithsonian

Sharks attract more than their share of myths. sharks.animals.im checks the myths about living sharks.