Top Ten Animal Mysteries: The Carcharodon Megalodon

By Nicola Currie

Also known as the great mega-toothed shark, the carcharodon megalodon really did exist. It was the whale-eating, jaw-dropping, pee-your-pants maharajah of the sea. Up to 18 metres in length (that’s over nine of us itty bitty humans lying end to end), Megalodon outsized Tyrannosaurus rex.

The current-day presence of the carcharodon megalodon is a subject of much contention between experts, many believing this species has long been extinct. Others - possibly the less sane ones - believe Megalodon is still with us, lurking and feeding in the untrammelled abyssal depths.

Last reported sighting: 1978

Most likely to be: whale shark, basking shark or a submarine