The Disappearance of Ocean's Monstrous Megalodon Shark

Controversy has long surrounded the disappearance of the monstrous Megalodon, the ocean's largest shark ever, but a new study concludes that this 60-foot-long predator became extinct 2.6 million years ago.

This date falls on the border between the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs, right when baleen whales began growing to their modern-day gigantic sizes, which makes sense considering the 50-ton shark fed on marine mammals. Without the presence of this behemoth, baleen whales could flourish.

"I was drawn to the study of Carcharocles megalodon's extinction because it is fundamental to know when species became extinct to then begin to understand the causes and consequences of such an event," study lead author Catalina Pimiento said in a statement.

While there is no conclusive evidence that these whales were on the shark's menu, baleen whale fossils are often found along with Megalodon teeth, according to researchers. Future research will better be able to tell if Megalodon's extinction played a part in the evolution of these now colossal whales.

But pinpointing the exact data of extinction of Megalodon - running 14 to 18 meters long and resembling a super-sized great white - is difficult considering its incomplete fossil record. But the most recent fossils put it in between the middle Miocene Epoch (15.9 million to 11.6 million years ago) and the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago).

To get a better sense of when this toothy giant died out, Pimiento and colleagues from the University of Florida used the Optimal Linear Estimation (OLE) technique, which places each of the 42 fossils in a database with an upper and lower date estimate for when it appeared.

"Based on the distribution of those gaps and how those gaps change, it will then infer the point in time where that species can be considered to be extinct," researcher Chris Clements told Live Science.

After 10,000 simulations, the research team determined with 99.9 percent certainty that Megalodon went extinct 2.6 million years ago.

However, some theorize that the predator is still alive and kicking present day, citing the fact that six of the 10,000 simulations show the fearsome predator never died out. Discovery Channel's wildly popular "Shark Week" even perpetuated the conspiracy with its Megalodon series, which continued this year with a feature called "Megalodon: The New Evidence."

But despite their attempts to keep Megalodon alive, researchers are confident that the beast is long gone.

"It definitely doesn't mean that the species is still alive," Clements said.

"If a 50-foot-long predator that fed on surface animals and lived in coastal environments were still around, someone would have found evidence of this by now," added shark enthusiast David Shiffman.

The cause of Megalodon's disappearance, however, remains a mystery.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.