Otodus megalodon, more commonly known as just megalodon, was a species of large-bodied otodontid shark from the Neogene period, occurring from the early Miocene into the early Pliocene, around 23-3.6 million years ago. Megalodon is generally regarded as one of the largest marine hypercarnivores to have ever existed, with past estimates suggesting it reached up to a maximum of 18 meters (59 feet) in length. However, more recently it has been estimated to only reach up to 14.2-15.3 meters (47-50 feet) in length, but anecdotes suggest 18 meters was still possible, but rare. Nonetheless, Megalodon was one of the absolute largest and most powerful marine predators to have ever trolled the seas, preying on a wide variety of oceanic organisms, including small- to medium-sized baleen whales, like Cetotherium, a multitude of fish species, other marine mammals like dugongs and pinnipeds. Megalodon was also in competition with another heavy-weight champion of the marine world, the giant raptorial sperm whale Livyatan, as well as smaller predators such as the still-extant great white shark. Megalodon was believed to have gone extinct in the early Pliocene epoch, some 3.6 million years ago, due to environmental stresses caused by a number of factors, notably global climatic shifts resulting in the decline of baleen whale diversity, alongside the radiation of smaller, more gregarious predatory species, competing against the megatooth sharks for the same prey.
Megalodon has made a profound impact on popular culture and paleontology alike, inciting much interest in its massive teeth, the constant debate of its true size, and the role as apex predator in its prehistoric domain. More famously, or rather infamously, however is the wide-spread erroneous claim of its continued survival into the age of man. Such proponents for this "hypothesis" of a contemporary Megalodon suggest the giant shark adapted for deep sea life, rarely ever venturing to the surface, where it is supposedly sighted on the occasion. Such claims are dubious as best, and the allegations of its late-survival are not supported by the fossil record or its actual, rather well understood lifestyle. However, the so-called "living Megalodon" movement has gained a substantial following in the public eye, with fictional works like the Meg novel series by Steve Alten and the 2013 Discovery Channel mockumentary Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives proliferating the implausible idea this long extinct shark still prowls the depths.
The genus for Megalodon has been disputed in the past, having previously been placed within Carcharodon, Carcharocles, Megaselachus, and Carcharias, among others, but the most recent scientific consensus cites Otodus as the proper genus.
Paleoworld (1994-1997)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Prehistoric Sharks (1998)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Trilogy of Life (1999-2005)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Megalodon (2004)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
The Track of the Tuna (2006)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Prehistoric Predators (2007)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
MonsterQuest (2007-2010)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Jurassic Fight Club (2008)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Morphed (2009)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Mega Shark series (2009-)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Mermaids: The Body Found (2012)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Sharkzilla (2012)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (2013)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Megalodon: The New Evidence (2014)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
The Mysteries of the Lost Giants (2017)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Dino Dana (2017-2020)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
The Meg (2018)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
Expedition Unknown: Megalodon (2019)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery
The Meg 2 (2023)[]
Role
Inaccuracies
History and Design
Cultural Significance
Gallery