No, the megalodon (Otodus megalodon) is extinct, with scientific evidence showing it died out around 3.6 to 2.6 million years ago due to factors like climate change and loss of food sources, and there's no credible evidence of any surviving populations today. While some people believe they might lurk in the deep ocean, scientists agree they couldn't survive in modern oceans and we would have found evidence, like teeth or remains, if they were still around.
All the evidence we have leads us to conclude that megalodon is, in fact, extinct. But just because they aren't swimming about in our oceans anymore, doesn't make them any less fascinating. Scientists are constantly striving to better understand prehistoric sharks and revaluate what we think we already know.
We know that megalodon had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene, 2.6 million years ago, when the planet entered a phase of global cooling. Precisely when the last megalodon died is not known, but new evidence from the USA suggests that it was at least 3.6 million years ago.
Looking at how science currently stands, we can confidently say no, this is highly unlikely. First of all, a huge amount of DNA is missing, which in addition deteriorate over time. Considering the Megalodon breathed its last millions of years ago, it seems unlikely that good DNA could ever be found again.
So far we've only found teeth and vertebrae of megalodons. Like other sharks, most of their skeleton is made from cartilage which doesn't preserve well in the fossil record. There's still lively debate in the scientific community about the modern species of sharks to which megalodon is most closely related.
Mature megalodons likely did not have any predators, but newly birthed and juvenile individuals may have been vulnerable to other large predatory sharks, such as great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), whose ranges and nurseries are thought to have overlapped with those of megalodon from the end of the Miocene and ...
At a length of more than 50 feet (15 metres) and a mass of nearly 50 tons (tonnes), Megalodon was both larger and heavier than Tyrannosaurus rex.
Anatomy: Frozen megalodon specimens have allowed scientists to study the shark's anatomy in great detail. These specimens have revealed that Megalodon was one of the largest sharks to ever exist, reaching lengths of up to 60 feet.
The woolly mammoth is the animal most prominently linked to a 2027 return, with biotechnology firm Colossal Biosciences aiming to have a cold-resistant elephant hybrid with mammoth traits walking the Earth by then, using gene-editing to help restore Arctic ecosystems. While not a true resurrection, this project aims to create a functional woolly mammoth-like creature, with other efforts also underway to de-extinct animals like the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) and dodo.
The last megalodon likely died due to a combination of factors around 3.6 to 2.6 million years ago, primarily climate change, leading to a loss of its primary food source (baleen whales) and increased competition from emerging predators like great white sharks and orcas, forcing it out of its preferred warm waters. The cooling climate caused prey to shift to colder poles, while sea level drops reduced vital nursery areas, making survival unsustainable for the giant shark.
In 2025, Shimada and colleagues proposed a significantly higher maximum length estimate of 24.3 metres (80 ft) based on the hypothesis that megalodon had a much more elongated body plan than previously thought.
If megalodons still existy, we would be seeing them ALL THE TIME. These top apex predators would be spotted eating whales on whale watching tours, they would be spotted by recreational boaters in the nearshore coastlines.
The fact modern orcas hadn't even evolved yet when megalodon went extinct and that ancestral orcas were bottlenose dolphin-sized small-prey specialist that were physically incapable of competing with even a newborn megalodon is something mammal/orca fanboys tend to ignore entirely.
Humans appeared for the very first time around 100,000 years ago, meaning we never met Megalodon in person; neither did dinosaurs, which became extinct around 65 million years ago, long before Megalodon appeared.
1. Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) 55.7 feet / 17 m. The largest fish in the world, the whale shark, is an endangered species found in most of the world's tropical waters. Like the megamouth sharks and the basking shark, whale sharks are filter feeders and their diet consists almost exclusively of plankton.
Well, since Megalodon can only swim, in order for them to fight a TRex, the TRex would need to go out of it's element and go in the water. The Megalodon would easily win.
The Amur leopard is one of the rarest big cats in the world, with only around 100 individuals left in the wild.
Experts now believe we're in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.
Nope. Even if we could, it'd be a baaad idea. Bringing back animals that went extinct based on environmental factors that they weren't equipped for/they evolved into something better is really bad. Wastes resources, and they'd die out again anyway, or cause disaster for our modern ecosystem.
This gigantic shark with fearsome jaws certainly was real, but it went extinct long before humans walked the earth. Megalodon dominated prehistoric seas until its disappearance about 3.6 million years ago, in a period of geological time known as the Miocene.
No, NASA Doesn't Have a Live Megalodon Hidden in the Atlantic Ocean. Sure would be cool if they did, though. Troubled and troublesome depression-era filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) would do just about anything to achieve fame and success.
The woolly mammoth is one of the most famous candidates for de-extinction, and progress is being made to bring this iconic Ice Age species back. Scientists, particularly those at Colossal Biosciences, are working on editing the DNA of modern elephants to introduce woolly mammoth genes, creating a hybrid species.
The Great White Shark is considered the deadliest shark due to having the most recorded unprovoked attacks and fatalities, followed closely by the Tiger Shark and Bull Shark, which are also responsible for numerous attacks in coastal areas. Great Whites are apex predators known for their powerful bites and curiosity, often mistaking humans for prey like seals.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, the King of Predators
Its imposing size, immense strength, and hunting prowess dominated the ecosystems of the Cretaceous Period like no other predator.
They could statically hold up the weight a car (or elephant) at those tooth positions with masses of 3.5-6.5 tonnes, and likely lift (accelerate upwards) minimum masses of 2.3-4.3 tonnes with modest effort.