A discovery that would’ve been quite huge, literally, got people talking this week about an extinct shark that lived millions of years ago, the megalodon.
Researchers from the Atlantic Shark Institute, a Rhode Island based nonprofit that works in shark research and conservation, picked up a shape on its sonar fish finder that looked like the megalodon, also known as the meg.
Jon Dodd from the Atlantic Shark Institute took the photo three weeks ago just south of Block Island, Rhode Island.
The shape appeared for several minutes, but soon transitioned into something else.
The culprit?
A school of Atlantic mackerel. The fish “hung around the boat for about 15 minutes,” the researchers wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.
“So close, but so far,” the post read. “The Megalodon (Otodus megalodon), disappeared more than 3 million years ago and will likely stay that way, but, for a few minutes, we thought he had returned!”
The researchers also wrote that the figure eventually looked like “90% of all the schools we see offshore.”
“Just happened to take the shape of a shark for about 2 minutes,” they wrote.
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The post amassed just over 40 comments, including some jokes and more scientific approaches.
One Facebook user wondered if the shape was some sort of adaptation the mackerel made to discourage hunters like whales and dolphins, asking if it could be sonar mimicry.
The megalodon was one of the largest predators that ever lived up until its extinction 3.6 million years ago, according to the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom. Researchers believe it grew to between 50 and 60 feet long. Because of its large teeth, experts think it feasted on whales and large fish, and probably other sharks.
Nonetheless, the researchers don’t think the shark is coming back anytime soon.
“While it would be equal parts fascinating, and terrifying, I don’t think we are going to see the return of the meg,” the institute replied to one social media user.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.