A fossilized tooth from a megalodon, an extinct species of giant shark, was discovered by a father and son last Tuesday while vacationing in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. Michael Bowers, 42, and his 11-year-old son Bo, from Monongahela, Pennsylvania, found the tooth, estimated to be 3.6 million years old, along a jetty.
"I always seem like I find crazy stuff in the water," Bowers told NJ.com. "I never in a million years would have guessed that we would have found something like this. My son was speechless."
Bowers reported that he was unable to reach the tooth in a narrow crack, but his son was able to retrieve it. The discovery was then presented to the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, which confirmed it as a genuine megalodon fossil. "It's on my bucket list of stuff to find," Bowers said. "My knees were shaking."
The megalodon, once the largest shark to inhabit Earth, grew up to 60 feet in length. The species has been extinct for over 3.6 million years. According to Melissa Laurino, the research director at the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, fossils of this prehistoric predator are uncommon finds in New Jersey. Dana Ehert, a curator at the New Jersey State Museum, indicated that fewer than five megalodon teeth have been found in the state.
Researchers suggest the tooth may have been brought to the shore during a sand replenishment project conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Sea Isle City in July. "If the sand came from a few miles offshore, it is very possible the tooth came with it," Laurino stated. "It’s a once-in-a-lifetime beach find that the Bowers family will treasure for a lifetime."