When we think of sea monsters, we think of the mighty

Cracken pulling a ship down with its tentacles, or H.P. Lovecraft, or Loch Ness.

But how often do we think of the real sea monsters?

What are the mightiest predators of the depths today?

And how do they compare with those from hundreds of millions of years ago?

Just what are the worst real sea monsters?

We're going to find out today on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid. I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Real sea monsters.

Welcome to the show that separates fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, real history from fake history, and helps us all make better life decisions

by knowing what's real and what's not.

I've always believed that somewhere deep down, each of us harbors some kind of fear of the water.

When I was a small boy, I lived about the first 12 years of my life on the beachfront in

Southern California and was in the ocean

almost every day. But I'll admit to you right now, I was never completely comfortable. And then the

movie Jaws came out and made me even less so. Then several times I got tangled up in a big

bunch of kelp and couldn't get out as the waves washed me back and forth. Finally,

the last time I was ever in the water, I was grown with a family and went out just to duck my

head underwater. The next thing I knew, I was caught in a rip, couldn't touch bottom, and was

tiring quickly. If I hadn't been rescued by a lifeguard, I very likely could have died, and that's after a lifetime of knowing how to get out of rips.

So, now, at my advanced age and decrepitude, I am satisfied with the time I have already spent in the ocean, and do not feel compelled to spend any more.

Thus, I can now, with emotional safety, talk about the real sea monsters

...