A young fossil hunter finally found what he’d spent years on the lookout for—a megalodon tooth. Jaxon Hinton and his dad were searching along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland when Jaxon found a pristine tooth from a megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived. He told local news that he cried from happiness after the discovery.
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Jaxon said while searching for fossils, he found part of a shark vertebrae, so his dad encouraged him to keep searching the area. That’s when he spotted part of the tooth. His father was recording a video when Jaxon pulled the tooth from the riverbed, and his reaction is so pure.
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FOX 5 News spoke with Stephen Godfrey, curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum, who describes the young boy’s find as “a gem-quality specimen” and “mint condition.” Because of its condition, Godfrey says the finding is quite rare.
Megalodon sharks lived millions of years ago, dominating the ocean up until they went extinct. Scientists believe these massive marine predators grew to be up to 80 feet long.
See the tooth from a massive extinct shark that a young boy found in Maryland:
Header stock image comparing a fossilized megalodon shark tooth vs. a modern great white shark tooth by Mark Kostich/Getty Images
