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Official scientific consensus suggests the Megalodon went extinct around 3.6 million years ago, likely due to drastic climate changes and the resultant decline in its prey population. As ocean temperatures dropped and large baleen whales—the Megalodon's primary food source—became scarce, the shark struggled to adapt to a rapidly changing ecosystem.
The rise of new predators, particularly ancestral orcas and other efficient shark species, is believed to have further exacerbated the Megalodon's decline. Competing for the remaining food resources intensified the challenges it faced, leading to speculation that the combination of these factors contributed significantly to its extinction.