MAN STUMBLES UPON A STRANGE ROCK ON THE BEACH OF NORTH CAROLINA WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE MORE THAN A ROCK
Watching the sunset while you are on a beach, slow tides touching your feet as you walk along the coast of the beach is one of the best moments of our life that we all want to happen one day. But then, not all are lucky like this guy who was taking a walk on the beach of North Carolina when he stumbled upon something strange that caught his eyes. First, he thought it was a rock which he kept in his pocket as a souvenir to remember the place, but later, he found out that it wasn’t a weirdly shaped rock but something else entirely. He was stunned to see that something this amazing was in his hands that changed his life forever. What did he find? You’ll find out soon.
The Beginning
Denny Bland was walking along the shoreline of North Topsail Beach, a famous hot spot away from the city of Wilmington. He wouldn’t have thought that he would find something this amazing strolling around the shoreline of the beach. He thought it was some sort of driftwood (it’s a wood that has been washed up to the shore through actions like winds or tides). But the truth was something else and when he got to know about it he couldn’t hold it any longer in his hands.
Caught His Eyes
In 2015, Denny was busy enjoying his days at the North Topsail Beach, a famous location where surfers visit the place on a daily basis to enjoy their days. He was tired and decided to sit on the sand for the tanning and while he was doing that, an odd object some feet away from where he was caught his attention. Unable to understand what it was he moved closer to check it out.
Curious Denny
Holding it in his hand, he couldn’t tell what it was as it was something he hasn’t seen before in his life. It was triangular shaped and had striation (happens due to a geological fault) running vertically on the body to the tip and had a dark black base which looked almost rotted. Somehow, Denny knew that it wasn’t driftwood but something else, but what? He needed to find that out. He became really curious about it and then he found a terrifying truth about it that shocked him to the core.
Back In The Past
Just like Denny, in the past, our ancestors also discovered an object like this which they firmly believed was a dragon tongue. Dinosaurs are okay but a dragon was something people don’t believe in as there is no evidence of that. So, was it really a dragon tongue? Denny knew that this object was something and to know more about it he had to take it to a specialist. And from here things started to change and it was nothing less than an adventure for Denny.
What About The Past?
As we already told you about the past incidents that happened where ancient people found something similar which they related to a monstrous being which they believed walked on the same worlds like ours. We can’t say about the past but what Denny found here along the beach was something extraordinary. He took it to the expert Cynthia Crane.
The Expert
Cynthia Crane, director of the Aurora Fossil Museum in North Carolina, met Denny who told her about the discovery he had made on the beach. He had no idea about what it was but, he knew whom he should talk to. Cynthia was very excited to see it as it was something very unique. She even said that she hasn’t seen anything like this in her whole life. She was lucky enough that Denny approached her for further investigation. She was able to shed some light on this amazing discovery which changed everything about the past.
The Theory
According to one theory, this weird shaped object was a tongue of some prehistoric monster that lived in this area. But there has been no clue about it. Some of the locals even believed this theory of a monster but nobody could say it for sure. Even Cynthia was not inclined towards this theory but after seeing this item she was also confused. So, did this thing really belong to some monster? You’ll be surprised to see what it was exactly.
Need More Time
Cynthia asked Denny to give this item to her, as she needed more time before she can tell what it was. Denny had no problem with that as even he wanted to know more about it. Cynthia took the object to her lab for proper investigation. With the help of other colleagues in her lab, she put the object under observation and the team was divided into two. So, now two teams of two people each were working on the discovery. So, what did they find?
Team’s Responsibility
As we already told you, there were two teams now working on the object, the first team was responsible for collecting the data and the second team was asked to collect any sort of information they can find in newspapers or internet. The team was also responsible for asking the locals about the object and if they had any sort of information or if they had encountered something like this before.
In The Lab
Cynthia and her team were working really hard only to achieve one aim which was to find out the truth about this object. Even if they could get even single information they would at least have something to direct their investigation in some direction. Both the teams were working really hard to find out the identity of the object but it would take some time before they can tell anything for sure.
The Locals
One team which was responsible for collecting any information about the object went to the locals where the team showed them the object. Unfortunately, there was no one who could tell what it was or saw something like this before, except one person. This individual recognized the object when one of the team members showed the photograph of it but there was one problem even he didn’t know what it was. He told the team that the first time he saw it he picked it up but as he thought it was a worthless piece he threw it away.
No Progress
Meanwhile, both the teams worked on their respective tasks, Denny was waiting for Cynthia’s call eagerly. Sadly, it was almost a week and there was no news from Cynthia. Both Cynthia and Denny were eagerly waiting for some information but then, as they say, good things don’t come easily, both the teams and Denny had to wait for a little longer before they can know what an amazing discovery Denny had made that day on the beach.
Inside The Lab
In the lab, the atmosphere wasn’t looking very good because of the fact there was no progress. Though they were making efforts, there was nothing concrete on which they can say that the research was going well. The problem was that this object was very new for the archeologists as they had never seen anything like this before. There was no information or any sources on which they can rely on. All they had was this mysterious 6-inch big object which was literally alien to them. But then, one team found out something…
The Old Legend
The team which was responsible for finding out the information about the object were taken aback by an old legend which stated that in ancient times there was a huge monster which was around 100 feet in length and surprisingly, there were many who even saw this huge monster. If going by the legend, then this object could belong to this legendary monster. So, does it mean, the monster was still there inside the waters? Would you believe in this old legend? No, right? But the team did. This could be seen as one of their desperate moves.
Going All In
After hearing the legend the team was ready to dive into the waters to see what lies in the depth of the ocean. But before that, they needed a good strategy as the sea was huge and to cover the whole area was almost impossible. What do you do when you want to solve a problem? You start with zero. The team planned out a map and marked some locations where they thought could find some answers. Though it seemed easy, in reality, it wasn’t.
The Divers
The team contacted some local divers and asked them if they were up for a search inside the ocean. The divers had some pretty good knowledge about the local waters and happily agreed. The next the divers were shown the marked locations where they were asked to dive in to find any clues about the legend monster or anything related to the object. Even the divers were shown the image of the object and they were shocked to see it. But then, their job was to search the waters and they did search for it. What did they find out?
Finished The Search
The divers reached the marked locations and the search went for hours, but sadly, there was nothing they were able to find. All the investigation seemed like a waste of time and the team even thought of abandoning the research. They almost gave up and decided to give the object back to Denny who was looking forward to getting some answer about his find. But then, there was nothing the team could do. When they thought of quitting the investigation Cynthia stumbled upon a new piece of information while she was reading about the ancient animals. And there it was. Everything became clear and the mystery was finally solved.
At Last, They Found Out
When Cynthia was reading about the ancient animals that swam the same waters where Denny found the object she was surprised when she read about Megalodon. “Megalodon was this large, humongous shark that roamed the ancient seaways during the Miocene-Pliocene time—mainly mid-Miocene to Pliocene—which was about 15 million to five million years ago,” said Cynthia. Wow!
It Was A Fossil
So, it wasn’t a tongue but a fossilized tooth belonging to an ancient creature. So, how huge was the shark? According to the experts, for every inch of the tooth, the shark grows 10 feet ( 1 inches=10 foot). And this tooth was 6-inches which makes this shark 60 feet long. Amazing, right? There was more to the shark.
Modern Sharks
If going by the size of this ancient shark, you’ll be surprised to know that it was three times larger than the white shark. White sharks are their modern-day ancestors. But the question was, how did they grow up to be this big? White sharks are what 15 feet or 16 feet in size, but Megalodon was 60 feet! There has to be some sort of reason behind this, right? And yes, there was.
The Answer
“Something was going on with the productivity and climate that produced that pattern, or with their prey and their competitors that made the species become large,” said Dr. Catalina Pimiento, Paleoecologist. So, it means that because of the climate which wasn’t as bad as the way it is today, the megalodon grew up to be this huge in size. That’s something we don’t hear every day.
Unexpected Evidence
After discovering this amazing fossilized tooth, Denny was on top of the world, “I couldn’t get a million dollars and be any happier,” he said. “Even the small shark’s tooth just excites the heck out of you… I felt like I was a lottery winner.” But he wasn’t the only one who felt like this.
A Good News
When we thought that there haven’t been such discoveries before, one of the photographers from the Surf City Gazette told that every year, one or two teeth of megalodon wash up to the shore each year. And there was one man from West Virginia who was happy to hear this news. So, what did he do with this new piece of information?
Made His Life
Greg Smith who worked as a community relations director at Camden Clark Medical Center, who later opened his own firearm shop, shared Denny’s excitement. He became so fascinated by the megalodon’s teeth that he started collecting the fossilized teeth. “I was trying to think of something that was good for grandpa and grandson,” Greg said.
The Duo’s New Adventure
Greg and his grandson were totally into the megalodon’s teeth and they started their own personal research on it. “Grandpa, it’s a huge shark with a mouth as big as a garage!” said Greg’s grandson and seeing the interest of his, Greg sent him a giant tooth from his collection and as expected he loved it.
A Big Collection
For Greg, collecting these fossilized megalodon’s teeth became a new hobby. He began to collect them and by 2018, he had over 1,000 megalodon’s teeth. He is a very proud owner of this amazing collection. If Denny wouldn’t have discovered this incredible tooth on the beach, we don’t think Greg would have managed to collect them all and we wish he continues to do so and add many more to his collection.
Are They Even Extinct?
Though it is a relief to think that this huge shark doesn’t swim in the waters where thousands of people surf every year because if it would have still been alive, things would have been very different. People wouldn’t have dared to go close to the waters. Just imagine how scary it would have been like white sharks aren’t enough in the first place. But there are some who still believe that this animal is still out there.
Some Rumors
There have been several reports from the Baja Coast in Mexico where many people claimed that they have seen a big black shark lurking in the waters. And the rumors spread like fire and the sighting of this black shark became very much often. And people even gave it a nickname, the Black Demon of Cortez. Was it for real? Or just some random rumors?
One Of Fisherman’s Story
Eric Mark who has been working as a fisherman for almost all his life claimed that his boat was hit by this same huge creature. He even claimed that he saw this shark’s enormous tail. But not all believed the story because we all know how these stories are changed when it comes out from different mouths. Some say A and the other says, no it was B in fact. You know the deal.
Leave It On Time
Baja Waters already has a very vast ecosystem. Eric for sure would have seen a tail but it would have not been of the Black Shark but modern White Shark that swam in the waters. But we still can’t say anything for sure as before the sighting reports gets confirmed. Let’s just stick to the fact that some millions of years ago, there was an enormous creature who ruled the ocean because of that we have the proof right in front of us.
The Biggest Shark In The World…
The first ever megalodon fossils which were found belonged to Otodus megalodon a.k.a Carcharodon or Carcharocles megalodon which is believed to be 20 million years old. This huge shark dominated the sea for the next 13 million years and some 3.6 million years ago this enormous species was wiped out from the face of the Earth. Today, to prove its existence, we have some teeth that have washed up to the shore every year. You’ll be surprised to see what all did they eat?
Ever Lived
Not only was megalodon the biggest shark in the world, but one of the largest fish ever to live on the face of the Earth. Megalodon was three times longer than present times white shark that dominates the ocean today in the absence of their ancestors. According to scientists, Megalodon grew to between 15 and 18 meters in size which made this species the largest in the whole world. But what does Megalodon mean?
It’s Skeleton
Scientists don’t have a complete skeleton which could tell them more about megalodon, but based on the size of these species’ teeth, which are around 18 centimeters long, they have named this megalodon which simply means ‘large tooth’. These teeth have told the scientists several other things too, like, what did they eat?
What Did Megalodon Eat?
“With its large serrated teeth megalodon would have eaten meat – most likely whales and large fish, and probably other sharks. If you are that big you need to eat a lot of food, so large prey is required,” said Emam Bernard, who is a curator at the Museum. So, it means they were able to eat animals as small as dolphin and as huge as humpback whales. But there are other amazing facts about this species which left everybody baffled.
More Amazing Facts
As they researched more about megalodon’s feeding habits they found out that there were several cut marks on the surface. Not only that the scientists also found out that the shark’s tooth tips were broken because of all the frenzy feeding activity they did back in the past. Imagine the force which they produced while eating and biting the food which literally broke off the tips of their tooth.
Open Wide
In order to feed off the prey as large as whales, megalodon had to open its mouth wide. Scientists believe that its jaw spanned 2.7 by 3.4 meters wide which are wide enough to swallow two adults human that too side-by-side. When scientists reconstructed the jaw they were amazed to see that megalodon had 276 teeth which proved that their bite would have been the most ruthless bite to be ever recorded from a predator.
The Forceful Force
When measured the force of the bite, humans had a bite force of around 1,317 Newtons, while great sharks recorded the bite force of 18,216 Newtons. But it was the bite force of megalodon which baffled the scientists because it was estimated between 108,514 and 182,210 Newton. While they reconstructed the jaw of the shark their main focus was to reconstruct the whole body of megalodon.
What Did Megalodon Look Like?
Most of the reconstructions showed megalodon similar to white sharks but this was later proved wrong. After years of research, scientists were able to recreate megalodon’s body which showed a much shorter nose then the white sharks, with a flatter and almost squashed jaw. Similar to the shark, megalodon also had extra-long pectoral fins which supported its huge weight and size in the waters. What else?
Experts Say
“A lot of reconstructions have megalodon looking like a bigger version of the great white shark because for a long time people thought they were related. We now know that this is not the case, and Megalodon is actually from a different lineage of shark of which megalodon was the last member,” explained Emma. They were even able to find out about the ancestor of megalodon.
The Oldest Ancestor
The oldest known ancestor of megalodon was a 55-million-year-old shark called as Otodus obliquus. It was around 10 meters in length. This shark history goes back to Cretalamna appendiculata which was some 105 million years ago making megalodon lineage over 100 years old. “As we’ve found more and more fossils, we’ve realized that the ancestor to the great white shark lived alongside megalodon. Some scientists think they might even have been in competition with each other,” said Emma.
A Cosmopolitan Shark
Megalodon lived in a warm tropical and subtropical locations spreading all over the globe. Megalodon’s teeth have been found on every continent except Antarctica which proved the theory that megalodon wasn’t able to adapt with the cold weather. So, basically, megalodon was found everywhere in the place of the world. Basically, megalodon dominated the oceans all around the globe.
Excited Researchers
“We can find lots of their teeth off the east coast of North America, along the coasts and at the bottom of saltwater creeks and rivers of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. They are also quite common off the coast of Morocco and parts of Australia. They can even be found in the UK near Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex,” said Emma.
Why Are Megalodon Teeth So Common?
Almost every fossil ever found in relation to the megalodon is its teeth. Shark produce teeth throughout their lives and because of their eating habits. They lose a set of teeth every on a weekly basis and all their life they lose up to 40,000 teeth. Their teeth are the hardest part of the body. While our teeth are coated with calcium phosphate, shark’s skeletons are made of cartilage.
Predators
“There is also a megalodon fossil found in Peru that apparently has the braincase and all the teeth, with a small string of vertebrae, although I have yet to see high-quality images of this specimen,” says Emma. This extraordinary fossil helped scientists to create a better picture of megalodon.
Extinction Of A Mega Shark
Megalodon’s extinction started when Pliocene ended which was around 2.6 million years ago when the earth entered the new phase which was the global cooling. Even scientists have no idea about the last living megalodon but it is believed to have happened some 3.6 million years ago. There were other species too which were wiped from the face of the earth.
Other Extinction
As the earth’s temperature was plummeting, there was a large number of animals facing extinction. These include animals such as turtles and sea birds. This dramatic event created dire consequences on the food chain at the time. The causal link between predators and other herbivores was hence disturbed.
Similarly, the megalodon species were also affected by the ‘cooling’. The inevitable changes which occurred in the megalodon’s surrounding disturbed its own predatory practices as their prey either did not survive the new waters or migrated to different places.
The Cooling Phase
The cooling of the surroundings led to the extinction of the megalodon in numerous ways. As the sharks were adapted to warm tropical conditions and when the cooling of the earth started it led to change in their living conditions of which they weren’t prepared for as they were habitual of the warm waters. The animals on which they preyed upon died soon after the phase resulting in the starvation of these enormous sharks. And because of all the change in the surroundings, they started moving towards the shore and that was the point from where their extinction started.
The Start Of The End
Megalodon started moving towards the shore and scientists believed that they even gave birth close to the shore. But when the cooling phase took over the shore their newborns were left unprotected. Unable to cope up with the change they had no other option but to give in to the climate change. The earth became cooler and the extinction of megalodon started.
The Bigger Question
On the Discovery Channel, they talked about the possibility of this species being still alive that led to so many questions and discussion between the scientists. Some even accepted the fact that there is a chance that few of them might have survived the cooling phase which led to another question, are they still alive? To answer this question, Emma gave a believable reply.
But Could Megalodon Still Exist?
“No. It’s definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past,” said Emma. “If an animal as big as megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it,” she added further. If we think about her reason, then it actually makes sense. A shark of this size can’t just hide in the depth of the oceans even if it tries to. There is no way it can stay hidden from the world where we have technologies that can reach the deepest point of the ocean.
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