Sharks themselves are an ancient species which still exist. Is it reasonable to think that one species would die out while others continue to thrive
There is something about the ocean's depths that inspires both fascination and a little fear in us. It certainly is possible that some residents of the deep only known to us from the fossil records are not extinct, but very much alive.
Even though dinosaurs living on land were wiped out due to some sort of (as yet) unexplained disaster, life in the sea remained relatively stable. Fishermen and sailors have told stories for generations about mysterious creatures from the deep.
The Megalodon is a large shark that was thought to have become extinct a million years ago. It could grow to a length of 50 feet or more (twice the size of the Great White shark). Megalodon's rasor-sharp teeth grew up to six inches in length.
Polynesian people tell stories about a huge shark that grows to a length of 100 feet or more. It is referred to as the "Lord of the Deep". On two separate occasions in the last century, a large and unknown species of shark was spotted. Shark fishermen reported seeing a large shark (40-50 feet in length) in the waters north of Tahiti. The creature was yellowish in color with a white speckled pattern.
In 1918, a whitish shark measuring 100 feet in length was observed off of Australia's New South Wales coast. The matter was investigated by a shark expert and a Fisheries inspector, who noted that these experienced fishermen were so unnerved by what they had seen that they refused to put out to sea for several days afterward.
Could Megalodon still exist? In 1875, a British survey ship, the HMS Challenger, recovered two Megalodon teeth near Tahiti. The five-inch teeth were dredged from a depth of 14,000 feet. When the teeth were dated in 1959, they were found to be 11,000 years old.
We can conclude that Megalodon was certainly not extinct 11,000 years ago and it is possible that this animal still exists today.
