A look into the mouth and myths of ‘The Meg’

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Megalodon shark was a terrifying prehistoric monster and it’s coming back to life in theaters this weekend.

The shark could reach up to 60 ft. in length and have teeth more than 7 inches long. It ate one ton of food every day.

Staff at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher said the recreation of the shark in the film “The Meg” seems accurate. The enormous sharks were bigger than school buses and typically ate whales. Staff said the waters off our coasts were, and still are, especially good feeding grounds for the creatures. However, Jennifer Metzler-Fiorino said the film should not keep people out of the water.

“Enjoy the movie, but realize it is Hollywood making a movie. Sharks are really important to our ocean, so we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to protect them”, Metzler-Fiorino explained.

At the aquarium, there is a full scale model of a Megalodon fossil found off the coast of North Carolina. The full skeleton is on display at the Smithsonian.