There are few threats in open water as terrifying and powerful as a Megalodon. This alpha predator of the waves hunts player ships in Sea of Thieves as if a great white would prey upon a seal. However, one's vessel is no mere mammal, but an instrument to cruise the ocean armed with mighty cannons.

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5 types of Megalodons can be found in-game, though each individual of every species will possess a unique personality, much like real sharks. This makes every encounter, regardless of the color of the sea fiend, unlike any other. While all are hostile, some may be more aggressive than others, so be wary when one sees that massive dorsal fin break the surface of the water and hears the violin's crescendo.

Updated on August 10, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: These video game leviathans are fictional representations of a real species of massive shark that once swam the waters of the real world during the Neogene period of Earth's history, which was between 23 million years ago and 2.6 million years ago; long after the dinosaurs disappeared and huge mammals were able to evolve, some returning to the water to face and feed a more ancient threat: hungry sharks.

Otodus megalodon is the real sea fiend's scientific name, and although its skeleton made of cartilage cannot fossilize, its bony teeth and jaws remain to terrify humans and remind them of what true power looks like.

How To Defeat Megalodons

all 5 types of megalodons.

The differences of each type of Megalodon pertain to only their appearances, as they all act the same in combat. When they appear out of the waves, accompanied by their ominous theme music, they will chase the player's ship until they are defeated or if one sails out of their territory, for they will not pursue corsairs outside of their domain. If a captain and their crew decide to face off against one of these sea beasts, be prepared for a few deadly attacks from the abyss.

Megalodon Attacks

Such giant sharks know what they are good at and use this advantage almost exclusively during encounters with ships they are preying upon. They will charge at a vessel and unleash serious chomps that can leave between 1 to 5 holes (depending on the size of the ship) in one's hull per attack.

Countering Megalodon Attacks

This charging bite maneuver can be stopped if a player's crew can launch enough rounds of cannon fire into the maw of the massive monster before its behemoth-blow lands. Depending on the class of one's vessel, this will take either 2 shots (Sloop), 4 shots (Brigantine), or 6 shots (Galleon).

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Slaying The Shark

Once more, depending on the type of ship the player possesses, it will take a different amount of cannonballs to kill a Megalodon. In a Sloop, it will take 12 to 15 shots; in a Brigantine, it will take 15 to 18 shots; and in a Galleon, it will take 30 to 32 shots, however, direct combat is not the only way to defeat one of these toothy leviathans.

Skeleton & Cannon Cheese

There are a few skeletons upon islands who are armed with cannons that will usually fire upon passing players and their ships. While annoying, this can be used as a weapon against Megalodons. If one draws a sea beast towards such an island-locked skeletal cannoneer, they may fire at the great shark. This could cause the 2 to become more interested in each other than the player, though the Megalodon won't be able to reach the skeleton. This will result in the sea monster swimming endlessly toward their skinless foe who will whittle them down until the huge fish can take no more and turns belly-up.

What It Would Be Like To Fight A Real Megalodon

megalodon sculpture suspended by wire.

How Big Megalodons Actually Were

It is debated how long Otodus megalodon actually was, however, many of the studies conducted on the potential size of this apex predator give the massive fish proportions between 50 to 60 feet on average, however, as new information is always being discovered and analyzed, this could change as humans learn more about what Earth's oceans were like when they were full of colossal toothed predators.

How Megalodons May Have Hunted

From fossil evidence of various whales who lived during the Neogene period bearing huge gashes on their bones, which often seemed to be the cause of their deaths, scientists have been able to match these grisly wounds to the marks made by the teeth of Megalodon. However, interestingly, despite often being depicted as sea monsters who hunted, killed, and ate whales as large as themselves, a lot of fossil evidence points to these huge sharks hunting whales, fish, and other sea creatures a fair deal smaller than themselves. They were likely more opportunistic predators than open water giant-killers, especially if one notes that juvenile Megalodons would have had to prey upon fish and smaller sharks, using speed more than power.

Fighting A Megalodon In A Pirate Ship

A large enough ship, even a wooden one like those sailing in Sea of Thieves, would likely have nothing to worry about against even adult members of Otodus megalodon. While a solid ramming attack or bite could potentially do serious damage to a Sloop, Brigantines and Galleons would likely be too large for a Megalodon to bother attacking unless they were extremely hungry. If so, the weight, as well as a ship's wood and metal hull, would likely cause one of these great sharks to hurt themself more than the ship if they try to ram it. Furthermore, the width of a ship's underside would not allow even a Megalodon's great jaws to grab hold properly, essentially nullifying the sea beast's only weapon.

NEXT: Sea Of Thieves: All You Need To Know About The Kraken (& How To Survive It)