Long-lost Otodus megalodon vertebrae have reopened questions about the giant shark while exposing the vulnerability of museum collections. For decades, several enormous shark vertebrae sat unnoticed on a museum shelf. Once recognized, the long-missing fossils reopened a rare window into the life of Megalodon (now properly Otodus megalodon), one of the largest predators ever to inhabit the oceans. The Second World War saw the loss of dinosaur fossils on both sides of the conflict. Although it was mostly carrying wheat, it also had a cargo of dinosaur fossils from Alberta that were being moved to the UK.