Video of an enormous shark circling a research vessel has prompted comparisons to a prehistoric megalodon
The creature seen in the video was spotted 100 miles off New England and is thought to be around 17 feet long
Megalodons, which went extinct around 2.5million years ago, could grow up to 60 feet and weigh 75 tonnes
Many social media users commented saying that the creature was likely a basking shark
Giant shark sparks megalodon fears after tourists scream as it circled cruise ship
The shark can be seen swimming slowly in a circle near the surface of the water as tourists rush to the side of the boat and clamour to get a closer look
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A massive shark seen on video lurking around a tall ship off the coast of Massachusetts has social media in an uproar.
The prehistoric-sized shark was filmed swimming slowly alongside a ship full of research students as they all screamed and gawked in awe. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
Alex Albrecht, a marine biodiversity student and musician, captured the sighting from the mast of the SSV Corwith Cramer just over 100 miles off the coast of Wools Hole, Massachusetts.
The now-viral video has been viewed more than 37 million times [note: the video has explicit language] since Albrecht posted it Tuesday on TikTok.