A giant shark caught on camera scouring the bottom of the Mariana Trench has sparked debate about if megalodons still exist.
The huge predator can be seen swimming over what seems to be an abandoned shark cage.
The giant prehistoric shark, called a megalodon, ate everything in its path and was said to lurk in the Earth’s deepest oceans.
Some believe this footage, which has remerged after being filmed in 2018, is proof the sharks are not extinct and it has sparked a debate online.
One wrote: “I think they went deeper into the seas like the giant squid which is why we never see them."
Another added: “Our oceans are huge and there are vast areas that are still unexplored. I wouldn't be surprised if there are megs outs there.”
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However, some say the shark in the video bears a strong resemblance to the common sleeper shark.
These creatures can reach up to seven metres in length and can survive at least 2,000 metres below the surface.
Conspiracy theorists believe the megalodon has managed to successfully avoid detection for millions of years.
The giant shark weighed the same as five buses and was once the king of the ocean.
It is believed to have died around three million years ago, though there are plenty who still believe it is alive today.
Whilst this may seem impossible, the discovery of “extinct” animals is not unheard of.
The coelacanth fish is one such creature. Based on fossil records, it was thought to be extinct but was later found alive and consequently dubbed a ‘living fossil’.
Dr Karl Shuker, a leading cryptozoologist, has dedicated his life to researching animals thought to be extinct.
He has said that unusually large and unidentified sharks are still being reported.
For example, an image from 2016 appeared to show a 60-foot shark in Japan’s Suruga Bay.
However, Emma Bernard, curator of the National History Museum’s fossil fish collection, says megalodons can not be around today.
She says the creature would have eaten large prey such as whales and other sharks, but there are no reports of whales being attacked by a predator large enough to be a megalodon.
She has also said the megalodon would not be able to survive in the cold climate of the deep oceans, the only place it could go unnoticed.
