- 2 hours ago
Megalodon is a giant shark that terrorized the oceans some 20 million years ago. For 13 million years, this 60-ton beast dominated the warm waters of our planet. To describe how large Megalodon sharks were, we can say that, besides fish, they ate seals, dolphins, and even large whales. We’re lucky that they lived between 145 million to 66 million years ago. Scientists believe that these fish became extinct due to a shift in the food chain. Though, some believe that the Megalodon still lives in the most remote and deepest parts of the ocean…
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00:0160 feet. Longer than a semi-truck. The man reaches his hand out to touch the creature.
00:07From nose to tail, it takes him 20 seconds to walk its terrifying length.
00:12Count it out, almost half a minute. It's a long time to run your hand along something
00:17with a beating heart and black beady eyes staring down at you. A minuscule little scrap of meat,
00:23you. He's walking a bit slower than usual, of course. His heart pounds in his chest.
00:29Its teeth are as big as his hand. And those massive jaws line with them. The man's pet.
00:35Like a goldfish, only bigger. It's a megalodon. Fancy that.
00:40The giant shark that terrorized the ocean some 20 million years ago. For 13 million years,
00:47this 60-ton beast dominated the warm waters of our planet. Though some believe that the Meg
00:52still lives in the most remote and deepest parts of the ocean. You've always been interested in
00:58the ancient shark. That's why you became a fossil hunter. And the money's good too. Those huge
01:047-inch teeth can go for thousands of dollars a pop. For the past few years, you've been traveling
01:10around the world in search of such artifacts and making a decent living. Recently, an old buddy of
01:16yours told you about this small town where local miners discovered entire deposits of megalodon teeth.
01:22Your friend says the news isn't out yet. So you decide to go there straight away. Gotta get there
01:28before the hordes of other fossil collectors get the word. You spend days searching rivers,
01:33creeks, even digging into their banks and hunting on land. You look for any fresh construction sites
01:39around town. And that's when you find one. You see a group of workers and ask them if they,
01:45or anyone else in town, has found any fossils or large teeth on their excavations.
01:51No, haven't heard anything about that, one of them answers with bewilderment.
01:56Frustrated, you call a cab and head back to the motel. The driver stops at a red line,
02:01and you notice several semis pass by on the road in front of you. The trailers read,
02:07best meat in the country. Perhaps the local grocery store is getting a fresh delivery.
02:11But that's when you notice they all stop at a private driveway off in the distance. The house
02:18looks like a mansion. The whole property is surrounded by a high fence. Massive iron gates
02:23open, and the trucks drive in. The light turns green and the cabbie pushes the gas. He glances at
02:29you in the rearview mirror, answering your unspoken question. Some bigwig scientist lives there.
02:35Weird guy. Don't see him out much. Your intuition tells you to stay in town a little longer.
02:41Something smells off. A house that big with such security? Maybe he found all those megalodon
02:48teeth your friend told you about. From the looks of it, he must have found a whole fossilized
02:53skeleton. What's he hiding behind those walls? You can't sleep that night. Your obsessive
03:00curiosity brings you out to the scientist's house in the middle of the night. You just want to see
03:06with your own eyes. The fence is even bigger up close, and looks like it's made of steel or
03:13titanium. This guy is definitely hiding something. You walk along the wall, out around to the backyard.
03:20You hear some kind of humming from the other side, like a machine or pump. Big Shot probably has a
03:26massive hot tub with that Meg money. You scoff in your head. The structure is way too high to climb,
03:32but you notice a tree nearby. You climb it and carefully grab the wall. You hold on to it with
03:39both hands, your legs dangling on the other side. You unclench your fingers and thud. Ow!
03:45Hard landing, but you're in. You turn around, and that's when you see it. A gigantic round pool must be
03:53the size of a football field. Lights under the water barely make the thing glow. It's deep. You get
04:00closer to peer over the edge when, whoops, you slip on the wet floor and go plunging in. You open
04:06your
04:07eyes. It looks even bigger underwater. But then you see a dark shadow off in the distance. It's getting
04:14closer and closer. Within a half a second, the form starts to make sense. Thin eyes, jaws, rows of
04:22razor-sharp teeth coming right at you. You're frozen with fear. A hand grabs your collar and pulls you out
04:29of the water. Inches away from your face, the monster's toothy jaw snaps shut. The scientist saved
04:35you. You're in shock for a few minutes as you cough and catch your breath. You look up at the
04:40man.
04:40That was a… alive? But it can't be. A meg? Yes, he says calmly. He's a middle-aged man.
04:48Gray streaks paint his dark hair. His eyes are tired, but already wise. Oddly enough,
04:55he doesn't question your intrusion. Sensing that you're a fellow enthusiast, he instead
04:59tells you a story. Years ago, he was out doing some research in the ocean. That's when he found a
05:06badly
05:06injured shark caught up in some fishing net. It needed surgery, so he brought it back to his lab
05:12and operated. While the specimen was healing, the scientist realized this was no ordinary shark.
05:19It was a megalodon baby. He knew he couldn't set it free, and he couldn't tell anyone. The shark could
05:25never live an ordinary life if that happened. So he kept it. But as the years passed, the already big
05:32baby grew. 10 feet, then 20, 30, and then double that. The first problem he met was the size of
05:40the
05:40pool. Sharks always need to be in motion, so one thing was obvious. The pool needed to be round.
05:46If a dolphin needs a 24 by 24 foot space, and they're one-tenth the size of a meg,
05:52then this pool needed to have a diameter of at least 240 feet. Yep, just shy of a football field.
05:59Your initial estimation was right. To pump water into it, the scientist would have to build a house
06:05near the sea. But coastal towns are usually crowded. Too many prying eyes. He gives you a
06:11sly grin. So, he had an elaborate water system built underground. It runs for miles, long enough
06:18for him to stay pretty remote, but also gets the 1 million gallons of salt water he needs to fill
06:24the
06:24pool. But the most difficult part is the feeding. When Megalodon roamed the global seas, it'd live on
06:31large fish, whales, and even other sharks. To keep a Megalodon at home, you'd need, well, besides a lot
06:38of money, tons of meat. About 2,500 pounds a day. That's the size of a full-grown bull. He
06:45has the meat
06:46shipped in by truckload. Megalodon was, is, a very active fish. It was always on the move
06:53and hunting. To keep it from getting bored, the scientist hooks the meat onto a large mechanical
06:58fish. The robot just swims around the pool, and the Meg tries to catch it all the time. Its teeth
07:05leave noticeable marks on the metal. When the bot's severely damaged, the scientist takes it out of the
07:10pool and repairs it. And then, it all starts over again. But now, I understand that she needs to go
07:17back where she came from. My family and I have even grown to love her like a pet over these
07:2215 years.
07:23But I need to let her go. Hmm, maybe you can help? It takes some planning over a few weeks.
07:31But together
07:32with the scientist, you put the shark in a huge tank full of water. It takes a crane to lift
07:37her. You load
07:38the thing onto a ship and sail it far away from the shore. As the onboard crane lowers her into
07:45the
07:45water, the scientist hands you a massive megtooth. Here, take this, and thanks for your help. His eyes
07:52are misty as he watches her swim away. But this time, you decide not to sell it. Nah, this is
07:59a souvenir
07:59for the memory. The Megalodon is the world's most famous ancient predator. Big, dangerous, and deadly.
08:11The Meg went extinct about 3.6 million years ago. Or maybe it didn't. Some people claim to have seen
08:18the giant sharks. Others believe Megalodons are hiding from us deep in the ocean, where people
08:24had never been, such as in the Mariana Trench. Also, people constantly find Megalodon teeth.
08:31Some think it's because the giant sharks still exist, but are just trying to avoid attracting
08:36attention. Let's compare a human to this sea monster. In the left corner, we have an average
08:42person, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighing 136 pounds. In the right corner, a Megalodon.
08:51Average length, 34 feet. Weight, about 50 tons. So we're up against an animal the size of a school
08:59bus, which has the mass of a Boeing 737. Let's take a closer look at the Megalodon. Of course,
09:08it has teeth. Each one is 7.1 inches long. These are the largest teeth of any shark species that
09:15has
09:15ever lived. The Megalodon also had more teeth than any other animal. 250 teeth in 5 rows. Its jaw may
09:24have been 6.6 feet wide. You could lie inside its mouth and feel quite comfortable. Of course,
09:30only if you could forget that you were lying in the mouth of an ancient predator. If you put on
09:35an
09:35exoskeleton made of titanium, an encounter with the Meg wouldn't be so dangerous. But its jaws are still
09:41capable of damaging even something as tough as this. Doctors say prevention is more important
09:48than treatment. So what could you do to prevent a Megalodon from thinking you could be its next meal?
09:54The chance of being attacked by a shark is much less if you're in a group of people. The shark
09:59understands that attacking lots of people could be dangerous. So it'll retreat peacefully. Unless it's
10:06with a group of other Megalodons, of course. For the same reason, don't swim too far from the
10:12shore. A Megalodon can hear the vibrations in the water if there's a large number of people on the
10:17beach. But if you're alone in deep water, there's nothing to stop it from attacking you. Also,
10:23avoid swimming in murky water. Megalodons often try to drive their prey into patches of water like
10:29this. So the shark might think you're its dinner if you end up there. Oh, and never swim at night.
10:36This is when sharks are most active. Megalodons also had an incredible sense of smell. It's often
10:43said that sharks can smell a drop of blood across the ocean. This is not a myth. It's true, though
10:49it's a little exaggerated. Sharks have a great sense of smell, and they can detect blood from a quarter of
10:55a mile away. So before you go swimming, make sure you have no open wounds or scratches. This will not
11:02only
11:02protect you, but also other people swimming on the beach. When a Megalodon picks up the smell of
11:08blood, it switches to hunting mode. From this point on, the shark probably won't be scared away by
11:16anything. Now take a look at this fishing glitter. It shines and flashes with different colors.
11:22Like other fish, a Megalodon would probably pay attention to this kind of stuff. So take off all
11:29your jewelry before you go swimming. Otherwise, you might just become the human version of fishing
11:35glitter. Imagine that you're scuba diving, and you're looking at a beautiful coral reef. Colorful fish
11:41are swimming all around. Then suddenly, all the reef-dwelling folks swim off or hide. Within a second,
11:48the reef is empty. This is a clear sign that a large predator has appeared somewhere nearby.
11:55And the words big predator in the aquatic world mean only one thing. A shark. So, get out of there!
12:04Here's the best way to protect yourself from a Megalodon attack. It's the simplest and most obvious
12:10one, but people still ignore it. That's right. It's a sign. If you go to the beach and see a
12:16shark sign,
12:16don't even think about going in the water. They're already there, and they're just waiting for someone
12:22to dive in. But let's imagine that you've ignored all the warnings and signs and decided to go
12:28swimming. You suddenly hear people screaming from the beach. Someone spotted a giant fin poking out
12:34of the water. The fin is moving in your direction, and you need to decide what to do. So how
12:40can you
12:41protect yourself if the Megalodon attacks you? First of all, stay calm. Yes, I know we're talking
12:48about a giant shark. But if you start panicking and hitting the water with your hands, it'll only
12:53attract its attention. Try to reach a boat or a group of people. Do it as calmly as possible. If
13:00you're completely alone, you could try not moving at all. Usually, sharks try to bite people. If it's a
13:07regular shark, there's a chance it won't be too serious. Once it's had a taste, the normal shark
13:13will probably decide to leave you alone. That's right. They actually don't find us very appetizing.
13:18But you won't have this kind of luck with a Megalodon. Its jaws are so big that it can swallow
13:25you whole. So staying put is not an option. But if you encounter a Megalodon in shallow water,
13:32you still have a chance of surviving. Because it's so enormous, the Meg has problems maneuvering,
13:39especially in this kind of water. So if it misses with its first strike, it'll have to make a second
13:44run at you, just like a pilot trying to land a plane. This will give you time to get to
13:49the shore
13:50and to safety. But what if you're in the middle of the deep ocean? Well, then you're in big trouble.
13:56But I'll still try to save you. So let's say the Meg is swimming in your direction with its jaws
14:02wide open. A second later, it grabs you. The structure of a Megalodon's teeth means that you
14:08only hurt yourself more if you try to escape from its mouth. The only way you can survive is if
14:14you
14:14make the Meg let you go on its own. If it was an ordinary shark, you could try punching its
14:20nose to
14:20make that happen. But the Megalodon's skin is so thick that it won't feel the blows. So aim for the
14:27eyes. This is its weak spot. If it feels pain, it might let you go. Now you need to get
14:34some first
14:35aid fast. And you also deserve a medal for being the only person to survive an encounter with a
14:41Megalodon. The idea of meeting one of these ginormous predators is pretty scary. But to be honest,
14:48there's no chance they still exist. All the theories that they've avoided extinction and
14:53are just hiding from us are false. First, these giant sharks loved warm water. So there's no way
15:00they could be hiding at great depths. In addition, an animal of this size needs a huge amount of food.
15:06But there's simply not enough food for them deep in the ocean. And all of those giant shark teeth that
15:12people have found can also be explained. Unlike humans, sharks keep growing new teeth throughout
15:18their lives. They lose their teeth every two weeks. Megalodons had the largest number of teeth
15:24ever. So now we understand why there are so many of them left at the bottom of the ocean.
15:29But this doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Real sharks still attack people sometimes.
15:35Last year, there were 64 cases of unprovoked attacks. By unprovoked, I mean the shark decided
15:41to bite somebody for no reason. There were also 41 cases where sharks defended themselves against
15:47fishermen or curious divers. Most accidents occur in the United States. There were 41 encounters with
15:54sharks there. 21 of them occurred along the coast of Florida. Hawaii, California, and North Carolina are
16:01also pretty busy places for sharks. Australia comes next with 11 shark accidents last year.
16:07Surfers often run into sharks because they spend a lot of time in areas where sharks like to swim.
16:13The splashes of water from their surfboards attract the predators and make a nasty encounter
16:18more likely. Great white sharks are the most aggressive, followed by tiger sharks, although many experts say
16:25that the bull shark is the most dangerous in the world. But you shouldn't be scared of all sharks.
16:31For example, the nurse shark is totally harmless. Plus, they look super cute.
16:40Tonight, the biggest and fiercest shark in history will face the blue, a mysterious creature from the
16:47ocean depths. The fight takes place far out at sea, so people are not in danger. But if Megalodon loses,
16:55the life of all mankind may be at risk. But first, let's get to know our opponents better.
17:01Megalodon was an ancient marine predator, a giant shark feared by all aquatic life for millions of
17:07years. Megalodon had no competitors in the oceans. It was at the top of the food chain. Current sea
17:14inhabitants don't even realize how lucky they are because this monster went extinct about 3 million
17:20years ago. Although people can't know for sure if it's really gone. The ocean is only 5% explored.
17:27It's possible that somewhere in the depths, Megalodon still terrifies all the fish. And today,
17:34the colossal shark will fight against a worthy opponent, the blue. Technically, that's just the
17:40name of the sound. The sound that oceanographers recorded in 1997. The creature that made it could
17:46be called a sea monster, a kraken, a beast from the deep. No one knows how it looks, but we
17:53can guess
17:53it's size. This ultra-low frequency blue was so powerful that it could be heard by special sensors
18:023,000 miles away. If you were in New York, you could listen to the sound from Los Angeles. But
18:08the
18:09sound was deep underwater where the audibility is actually much worse. A creature that can make such
18:14a sound could be dozens of times bigger than a blue whale, the largest animal living in the world.
18:20Interestingly, the source of the sound is located near the most remote place on Earth,
18:26Point Nemo. It's located more than 1,000 miles off the coast of the three nearest islands.
18:31This place is one of the most poorly studied on our planet. Point Nemo is used by many companies
18:37as a space garbage dump because of the long distance from land. Every year, satellites fall there.
18:43But the worst thing is that the coordinates of the fictional ancient city of Rilay are near Point
18:49Nemo. That city was described in the books of author H.P. Lovecraft. Among the ruins of Rilay,
18:55the monster Cthulhu lives. Yeah, it sounds nothing like it looks. Hey, neither do I. Hey, Cthulhu,
19:03buy a vowel, will ya? Man, it's like a cat walked across the keyboard and there's your name. This is
19:08an entirely fictional creature, but many people think it could be the source of the blue.
19:15The chances of the Megalodon winning are small because Cthulhu is a demigod. It has arms and legs,
19:22wings, and a head resembling a colossal octopus or clam with dozens of long tentacles. It's impossible
19:29to determine Cthulhu's size, but if you believe the records of writers and drawings, its size can reach
19:35up to 300 feet in height. The Megalodon is five times smaller at about 60 feet, or slightly less than
19:42one subway car. Ooh, a nice lunch for a monster shark. The shark weighs about 100 tons, like two
19:49tanks. The weight of Cthulhu is also unknown, but we can say with confidence that it can easily lift
19:55two tanks with its hands. But Cthulhu can change its size and shape at will. It can be anybody,
20:02from the size of a human to the extent of a continent. Also, Cthulhu can spawn any number of
20:08limbs. But let's not stray too far into fantasy. Otherwise, Megalodon won't stand a chance to win.
20:15Let's say Cthulhu has a constant size. So, in size, Megalodon loses to its opponent.
20:22Cthulhu is an ancient wise being that is more than a million years old. It has secret knowledge and
20:28telepathy. Megalodon is primarily an animal that simply follows its instincts. One of the main
20:34advantages of any match is intelligence. So, Cthulhu wins against the giant shark again.
20:40Do you know what sea monsters prefer for lunch? Fish and ships! An oldie, but a goodie!
20:48Meanwhile, as Cthulhu is distracted by the ships, Megalodon has a chance. There are two things in
20:54which the shark is superior to a demigod. The first is speed. Megalodon doesn't swim very fast,
21:01about 11 miles per hour. Athletes can run faster. But for giant Cthulhu, this is fast.
21:08Megalodon can maneuver around the green monster, and thanks to its smooth skin, slip out of the
21:13demigod's clutches. Megalodon swims behind Cthulhu and uses its second advantage, jaws. The bite of a
21:21Megalodon is considered one of the strongest among all creatures that have ever existed on Earth.
21:26Its bite force can reach up to 20 tons, 6 times stronger than a tyrannosaurus, 60 times more
21:33powerful than an African lion's bite, and 600 times more powerful than mine. Megalodon bites its prey,
21:40armed with 300 teeth. Each one is razor sharp and the size of an adult's palm.
21:48Such a jaw becomes an advantage in the fight against the Bloop. One Megalodon's bite is enough
21:54to injure Cthulhu seriously. But of course, this isn't enough to defeat a demigod. Thanks to its
22:00speed, the Megalodon can inflict many attacks. But sooner or later, Cthulhu will manage to catch the
22:06shark. Cthulhu uses tentacles to grab its opponent. Megalodon is trapped and can't move. The Bloop is going
22:14to pull the shark out of the water. It seems that the green monster will win the fight.
22:19But several unknown objects are approaching the place of the fight. Cthulhu is being attacked from
22:25all sides. The green monster is unique. It's one of a kind. But the Megalodon has offspring. Many
22:33sharks from all over the ocean swim to help their relatives. Now the sides are equal. Cthulhu again
22:40uses telepathy to summon people to help. Hundreds of ships sail to the fight location. It orders them
22:47to open fire on the enemies. Dozens of sharks quickly swim around Cthulhu. It's impossible to
22:53hit them and not injure the green monster. Cthulhu loses by its own mistake. It cancels the telepathic
23:00order and decides to deal with the shark squad alone.
23:05Cthulhu uses its tentacles to catch each shark one by one. But the sharks work great as a team.
23:12Once one shark is captured, the others bite the tentacle and help it escape. All Cthulhu attacks
23:18fail. It needs time to think of a new strategy. But where to retreat when there are a lot of
23:25enemies
23:25everywhere? To go back to the ancient city is to admit defeat. Cthulhu has an idea. It opens its wings
23:33and makes a single wave that, like a blast, throws all the sharks aside. The monster floats to the
23:39surface. Another wave and tsunami forms in the ocean. Cthulhu rises to the air. Black clouds accumulate,
23:47thunder rumbles, lightning strikes everywhere, and a downpour begins. Cthulhu is in the sky,
23:54directly over a group of megalodons. It has taken a short break. And now the green monster is ready
24:01for another attack. A shrill whistle sounds above Cthulhu. A satellite's falling, cutting through
24:08the storm clouds. Then another one. Cthulhu is not prepared for an attack of space debris.
24:15It dives into the water and retreats once more into the ruins of the ancient city.
24:20Megalodon wins with the last of its strength.
24:23Fortunately, oops, sorry. Fortunately, such a fight will never happen.
24:28Megalodon went extinct millions of years ago. There is a hundredth of a percent chance that
24:34this shark species is still alive. This is excellent news for megalodon fans, though.
24:40You can find a million-year-old tooth of this creature in places all over the world where
24:45people gather to hunt this artifact. Professionals and tourists sell found teeth for a lot of money
24:51or keep them as a souvenir. As for the bloop, you can play the recording on the internet and
24:56learn that this is not Cthulhu or some kind of sea monster. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
25:02Administration, NOAA, confirmed that the bloop is actually the sound of ice. When large icebergs
25:09crack and collapse, they generate powerful, ultra-low-frequency sounds. There are many records
25:15of famous ice earthquakes that had similarities to the bloop.