In Search of Mexico's 60 foot Black Demon Shark - Documentary 2014 Video
- 10 years ago
A search off Mexico's Baja Peninsula for a reported 60-foot shark of possible prehistoric origin that terrified local fisherman call the "Black Demon."
In recent years, fishermen in the Sea of Cortez have reported seeing a shark of truly frightening proportions. This creature is reported to be 20 to 60 feet long, weighing between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds, dark in coloration with a huge tail that whips to the surface before diving away quickly. The locals refer to the creature as the "Black Demon, and some believe that this creature could be a remnant population of Megalodon Sharks.
Our knowledge of the megalodon shark comes from fossilized teeth that have been found throughout the world. Like other sharks the body would of had cartilage instead of bones, so the rest of the body would not fossilize. The tooth remnants are found to be 3 to 4 times the size of great white shark teeth. They can have a diagonal length of over 6 inches with sharp serrations along the edge. Most experts believe that the megalodon shark went extinct about 1.5 million years ago.
At least one expert disagreed with the timetable for megalodon extinction. In 1872, the HMS Challenger conducted a four year scientific expedition dredging and mapping the seafloor of the Pacific. Examples of megalodon shark teeth were found in the depths of the Mariana Trench. The Mariana trench is 1500 miles long, 40 miles wide and so deep that you could place Mt. Everest inside it without breaking the surface. The type of area that could easily hide an aquatic species. In 1959, Dr. W. Tschernezky of London's Queen Mary College analyzed a megalodon shark tooth found by the Challenger expedition and estimated in to be only 10,000 years old. His method of dating was based on measuring the manganese dioxide deposits around the teeth and is widely questioned by most scientists. Supporters of the remnant population theory believe that Tschernezky findings show that it is still possible that the megalodon is still around today.
In recent years, fishermen in the Sea of Cortez have reported seeing a shark of truly frightening proportions. This creature is reported to be 20 to 60 feet long, weighing between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds, dark in coloration with a huge tail that whips to the surface before diving away quickly. The locals refer to the creature as the "Black Demon, and some believe that this creature could be a remnant population of Megalodon Sharks.
Our knowledge of the megalodon shark comes from fossilized teeth that have been found throughout the world. Like other sharks the body would of had cartilage instead of bones, so the rest of the body would not fossilize. The tooth remnants are found to be 3 to 4 times the size of great white shark teeth. They can have a diagonal length of over 6 inches with sharp serrations along the edge. Most experts believe that the megalodon shark went extinct about 1.5 million years ago.
At least one expert disagreed with the timetable for megalodon extinction. In 1872, the HMS Challenger conducted a four year scientific expedition dredging and mapping the seafloor of the Pacific. Examples of megalodon shark teeth were found in the depths of the Mariana Trench. The Mariana trench is 1500 miles long, 40 miles wide and so deep that you could place Mt. Everest inside it without breaking the surface. The type of area that could easily hide an aquatic species. In 1959, Dr. W. Tschernezky of London's Queen Mary College analyzed a megalodon shark tooth found by the Challenger expedition and estimated in to be only 10,000 years old. His method of dating was based on measuring the manganese dioxide deposits around the teeth and is widely questioned by most scientists. Supporters of the remnant population theory believe that Tschernezky findings show that it is still possible that the megalodon is still around today.