As of: February 19, 2024, 11:21 a.m
By: Nadja Pohr
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The megalodon shark has been extinct for many years.
However, some people are certain that he is still alive based on supposed evidence.
© Photomontage BW24/IMAGO/agefotostock/Leemage
There are many myths and legends surrounding the megalodon.
A discovery in England further fuels the rumors: a boy found a tooth of the prehistoric shark.
Suffolk - There are always legends and myths that there is a huge monster hiding in the world's oceans.
However, we are not talking about the Loch Ness monster, but rather about the megalodon - a prehistoric shark that has actually been extinct for three million years.
However, alleged sightings and evidence reinforce discussions that the basking shark still lives in the deep sea.
Six-year-old boy finds megalodon tooth on beach in England
Photos taken by a diver of a shark with a gigantic bite mark immediately sparked speculation online that the megalodon could be behind it.
There are still large areas of the world's oceans that remain unexplored.
“There are certainly still many things and creatures to discover in these incredible dark spaces that we have no idea about,” Antje Boetius, a marine biologist at the University of Bremen, told
Tagesspiegel
.
A recent discovery continues to fuel rumors surrounding the megalodon.
When a six-year-old boy was collecting shells with his father on Bawdsey beach in Suffolk, he made an incredible discovery.
Instead of a small shark tooth, the six-year-old found a megalodon tooth around ten centimeters long.
A “unique” find and “a really beautiful discovery,” as evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod told the English media.
The fossil relic is a truly unusual discovery, Garrod said.
No megalodon tooth has ever been found in such a preserved condition.
Megalodon fossils found so far are over 1.5 million years old, as marine biologists have already said.
Unless newer fossils emerge to prove otherwise, the megalodon will continue to be considered extinct.
However, many users on social media now suspect that the current tooth discovery is not a fossil.
“Are you sure it’s old?” asks one user.
“And you’re sure the Megalodon is extinct?!
Have fun on your next beach vacation,” says another, amused.
Evidence for Megalodon divides opinion online
“He’ll still be alive,” believes one Facebook user.
He is not alone in this, many can imagine that the megalodon is still swimming around “somewhere” in the depths.
“You can call me stupid and crazy, but I do believe that this basking shark still exists,” commented one user.
It would also be conceivable that the prehistoric shark now looks different.
Scientists have also already explained that the prehistoric shark - if it was still alive - must have adapted greatly to its environment and even changed its appearance.
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While for some users online it is proof of the existence of the supposedly extinct megalodon, there are also considerable doubts.
Some users even believe that the discovery is not a tooth, but rather sees it as a hoof, like a goat.
A TikTok video was also initially suspected to be the megalodon.
However, a basking shark was probably filmed here.