A WEST Kilbride student has helped uncover the enormity of a prehistoric mega-shark made famous in Hollywood films.

Jack Cooper, 23, has had a passion for the monstrous Megalodon since seeing it depicted on TV and used to imagine seeing it off the coast of his hometown.

He said: “A week before my seventh birthday, I watched the BBC show Sea Monsters. In that the presenter goes back to dive in ancient seas and in one episode he wanted to swim with a megalodon.

“It was that realisation that such an enormous shark existed – it terrified and fascinated me at the same time.”

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Credit: Oliver E. DemuthCredit: Oliver E. Demuth

Now his childhood dream of making the massive shark his life’s work has come true.

As part of a team from Swansea and Bristol universities, Jack has published research that shows a 16m (52ft) Otodus Megalodon, as featured in the 2018 film The Meg, three times as long as a great white shark, would have had a dorsal fin as large as an adult human.

Luckily, Jack said, they were so big they wouldn’t have had much interest in a human.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald:

Asked why his passion for the ancient creature has lasted, he told the Herald: “I think it might still be that childhood fascination.

“How mystifying that you still see sharks but this was so enormous that is almost transcends reality.

“It’s mind boggling.”

Despite his love for the sea monster, Jack doesn’t think bringing it back to life like in Jurassic Park would be such a great idea.

He said: “As much as I would love to see it, I think it would be quite a troubling thing to do.

“People are scared of regular sized sharks, I don’t know how they would react.”

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Credit: Oliver E. DemuthCredit: Oliver E. Demuth