Megalodons are the topic of conspiracy theories, speculation, and debate among friends around the world. The primary question everyone wants to know, though, is are they still alive?
Fossils of megalodon teeth and jaws help scientists estimate their size at 16-18 m when fully grown. Since sharks have cartilage rather than bones, full skeletons do not exist. Megalodons belonged to the order of sharks known as Lamniformes or mackerel sharks. Other notable species of mackerel sharks include great whites, goblin sharks, and megamouth sharks. Those within this classification have similar characteristics, such as being fast swimmers, giving birth to live young, and living up to 1300 m deep (remember this for later).
Megalodons went extinct from the fossil record about 3.7 million years ago, meaning no specimens have been found that would put their age younger than this. Boessenecker (2019) states that they were first seen around 5.6 million years ago during the late Miocene era and left during the early Pliocene.