Were Megalodons the vicious predators in real-life that we see on the screen? In a sense, yes. But it is more complicated than that when taken in the context of the representation on screen. In her interview about the pre-historic sharks, Emma Bernard says, "With its large serrated teeth, Megalodon would have eaten meat – most likely whales and large fish, and probably other sharks. If you are that big, you need to eat a lot of food, so large prey is required." This means that chasing after and eating humans would do the Megalodon no good if they were around today.
The Natural History Museum piece goes on to say that there is other evidence that Megalodons ate larger sea animals in the form of fossilized whale bones with the tips of the giant Megalodon teeth broken off inside. While the giant predator thirsting for human blood is excellent fodder for a Jason Statham action vehicle, the reality is Megalodon would likely have little interest in humans.
"Meg 2: The Trench" portrays the Megalodon as a 75-foot terror that is eating people at every turn, but the reality is that it was likely closer to 60 feet (still three times longer than the largest Great White). Of course, if there is no other available food, the shark would need to constantly eat as many humans as possible to get enough sustenance. But the reality is that the Megalodon would likely search for larger sea animals instead of feasting on a small collection of humans at the beach. That makes them similar to another misunderstood animal, the snake. While we fear them, we are not a part of their food chain, and therefore they have little interest.
