In the summer of 2015, beaches along Australias eastern

coast faced record-breaking closures of up to 10 days

because of intense shark activity- particularly a giant 1.7
tonne Great White monster.
Our fear of these incredible alpha predators is well founded.
For decades images of monster-sized sharks have made
online viral history, while others just seemed too far-fetched
to be true. Either way, our fascination with these powerful
creatures peppers our news feeds every day.
While marine biologists know a lot about our oceans
sharks theres no denying that theres a lot we still dont
know. Consider that 95% of our underwater world remains
unexplored that leaves a lot of space for new discoveries to
be madeand they are being made. The Whale Shark is the
largest known living shark (46ft), followed by the Basking
Shark (33ft), and then the infamous Great White Shark
(26ft). However new sharks or rather ancient species
undiscovered till now are sparking new debate. The
Megamouth Shark remained the subject of deep ocean myth
until one became tangled in the anchor of a US Navy Ship in
1976.
In January, 2015 a gruesome and ancient Frilled Shark was
brought to the surface by a fishing trawler in Australias
Victorian waters. Dating back 80 million years, this fearsome
7 foot long specimen looks more like an eel than a shark, but
with its 300 teeth in 25 rows this is one shark you wouldnt
want to cross paths with.
That same month, the Smoothtooth Blacktip Shark long
thought extinct, was found by scientists lying dead on a slab
in a Kuwait fish market.
All the more reason why we shouldnt discount the presence
of perhaps historys most fearsome shark of all the
unbelievably huge 18 metre (or 60 foot) long Megalodon
Shark.

THE BIGGEST SHARK OF ALL TIME:

Regarded as the largest and most powerful predator in
vertebrate history, its said to have dominated our marine
world right up until 2.6 million years ago. Now if we consider
the recent discovery of the 80 million year old Frilled Shark
could it then be quite possible that Megalodon still exists
undetected in the depths of our oceans undiscovered
canyons, such as the Mariana Trench? Remember we know
more about the surface of the moon than we do about our
oceans. Although marine biologists and shark researchers
find it far-fetched to picture Megalodon alive in our oceans
today, there have been numerous reports of giant sharks in
recent history.
In 1875, HMS Challenger dredged up two huge Megalodon
teeth which (when dated) proved to be only 10,000 to
15,000 years old merely a blink of an eye in the history of
palaeontologyparticularly when the previous fossils found
dated back to 2.6 million years.
In 1918 Australian naturalist David Stead recorded an
event where seasoned local fishermen refused to go back to
sea after sighting a gigantic shark, pure white in colour, in
excess of 115 feet long.
As recently as the 1960s the captain and crew of a 55 foot
long fishing vessel reported seeing a white shark swim by (at
least) as long as their boat while they sat at anchor. Despite
multiple witnesses, the boats crew were so traumatised by
the event they refused to discuss it again.
So, what mysteries will future events unveil about our great
ocean depths? Join us on Terror Australis for more updates
subscribe now for more free webisodes right here.