Could Megalodons Still Exist? What to Know About the Massive Prehistoric Shark That Inspired 'The Meg'

The new action thriller “The Meg” opens in theaters Friday and features a shark that makes the one from “Jaws” look like a guppy. 

A meg, short for megalodon, is an enormous shark that existed in prehistoric times but is now extinct. They were 70 feet long and weighed 100 tons, which is three times the size of the largest great white shark ever recorded. 

The movie, which stars Jason Statham, posits that megalodons still exist the darkest depths of the ocean. Inside Edition spoke to paleontologist Steve Jasinsky about whether the monster sharks could be lurking in the sea.

“There is as much of a chance of megalodon being alive today, for the most part, that you would see a dinosaur still alive,” he said.

Despite what Jasinsky says, there has been wild speculation online in recent years that megs are not extinct.

One YouTube video that has 20 million views claims to show meg sightings. Another clip shows what purports to be a meg on the ocean floor. 

Adventurer Paul De Gelder, who lost an arm and a leg in a shark attack, hopes megs are still out there somewhere. 

“I’d like to think that maybe there is one,” he told Inside Edition. “I’d love it if there was one, but I just don’t think so.” 

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