So was last year’s “Megalodon: the monster shark lives.” Both Shark Week specials claim to show evidence that Carcharocles megalodon, the largest predatory shark that ever lived, is still alive. In both cases, the evidence is 100% completely and totally fake.
A disclaimer from “the monster shark lives”
Video evidence is CGI, images are photoshopped, and performances by actors claiming to be scientists and people who have seen a megalodon. There is no marine biologist named Collin Drake, he is a fictional character played by an actor. The boat that a megalodon supposedly ate in South Africa did not ever exist. There is no doubt whatsoever among scientists that megalodon is extinct and has been for millions of years.
The documentary was debunked by fact-checking site Snopes, and criticized by CNN (an interview with me), Forbes magazine, and even the Daily Show. Hundreds of other news articles* all tell the same story. Megalodon is extinct, and Shark Week made up evidence to the contrary for ratings. Worst of all, they have actively bragged about fooling people.
*A sampling of some of the many other articles criticizing Shark Week and the Discovery Channel for airing a fake documentary include Time Magazine, USA Today, National Geographic, the Huffington Post, Gawker Business Insider, the International Business Times, Discover Magazine, the Oregonian, the Examiner, Entertainment Weekly, the Mary Sue, the Inquisitr, and US Weekly. Depending on your political leanings, you can even get the same story from Fox News, Brietbart, and Glenn Beck’s The Blaze. Even the Wikipedia article notes that it is completely fictional.
For me personally, Discovery completely discredited itself after last year’s airing and I did not even know that they made another “documentary” about the megalodon until I’ve read about it here.
Megalodon “sightings” are unreal and sensationalized. Even a website that deals only with the megalodon – http://www.themegalodon.com/ – talks about it in the past tense. I don’t think there is any room for debate whether megalodons still roam our oceans or not.
But the bigger issue I have is in regards to the new sensationalized stance Discovery takes with its documentaries and shows in general. I grew up with their shows that helped me immensely to develop my critical thinking and to a certain extent scientific method. I wonder what skills the young people who watch Discovery today will develop.