Megalodon, Monster Shark, Coming to Cranbrook Institute of Science

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — The “Largest Shark that Ever Lived” is coming to southeast Michigan — well, not the actual shark, but a 5,000-square-foot traveling exhibit about Megalodon — which means “big tooth” sharks.

The upcoming exhibit at the Cranbrook Institute of Science highlights the evolution, biology and misconceptions of Megalodon sharks, the enormous prehistoric shark that once cruised the world’s oceans.

Related to the modern great white and mako sharks, the Megalodon was a dominant marine predator for 15 million years before vanishing 2 million years ago.

Stories that the Megalodon shark still exists were fueled late last year with the sighting of a seven-meter shark off the coast of South Australia and a Discovery Channel mockumentary, “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives.” Although the film had a disclaimer that it was fictional, it sparked new interest in whether the shark had survived, according to Phys.org.

Do you want a sneak peek at the sheer size of the exhibit? Watch the installation at the Florida Museum of Natural History below.

The exhibit opens Oct. 2 and continues through Jan. 3, 2017. Cranbrook Institute of Science is located at 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and noon-4 p.m. on Sundays.

Image: Megalodon tooth, compared with two great white shark teeth via Wikimedia Commons