Did the Megalodon ever exist? The last one in the world and its real size compared to the movie

The deep sea is one of the great mysteries of our planet, something that seems to be within reach of mankind, but still remains out of reach. The oceans hold secrets equal to or more distant than outer space, and that is where legendary creatures come into conversation, and one of them is the Megalodon. The largest shark of all time returns in the form of a sequel with Meg 2: The Trench, starring Jason Statham, who will once again dress up as an action hero to face these fearsome creatures.

A movie that is as refreshing as it is frightening in this summer season where spending time in the sea is a regular occurrence for many. From the very first moment, the movie shows us how fearsome the Megalodon is, devouring a giant like the Tyrannosaurus with astonishing ease. Did this happen in prehistoric times? How big was the megalodon compared to the movie? Questions we will try to answer.

The real size of Megalodon

To try to compare the size of the real megalodon with that of the movie, Science News consulted paleobiologist Meghan Balk of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. on the subject. In the fiction, the Meg exceeds 20 meters, while the largest known megalodon did not reach 18 meters, and the average size of this prehistoric creature was 9 meters. Aside from size, the appearance of the Megalodon is quite similar to reality, and Meghan Balk points out that “When I looked at it, I was like, oh, they did a pretty good job. They didn’t just create a random shark.”

The Last Megalodon

It is not known for sure, but it is estimated that the last megalodon swam the earth about 3.6 million years ago. A giant animal that has been extinct for a long time, so there will be no need for Jason Statham to dress up as a hero in reality. At least for now.