In South Carolina, a woman found a huge megalodon tooth, an extinct species of shark, while walking with her husband on the banks of a river near Charleston.
A « big discovery »
Jessica Rose-Standafer Owens, a young woman from South Carolina, was walking along the Stono River looking for shells with her husband, Simon Chandley Owens, when she made this discovery last month.
After first spotting a large piece of something gray sticking out of the sand, Jessica Rose-Standafer Owens immediately knew it was a larger than average tooth and immediately started digging.
Hard to believe
In the video posted on Facebook, Jessica can be heard panting as she pulls out pieces of gravel to reveal the massive tooth, which was covered with dirt. I’m about to cry, » she says as she holds it in front of the camera.
I was excited and asked my husband to come down and pick up the phone (to record), » she told McClatchy News. Indeed, who would believe we found one so close to the surface? I’ve always heard that people find them by digging and/or diving ».
The greatest of all marine predators.
The tooth, which according to Jessica is between three and five million years old, would measure 14.6 centimetres and weigh 450 grams. « We were very surprised, » she says. The tooth is just incredible. The megalodon, which means « big tooth, » is an extinct species of shark and is considered one of the largest predators that has ever lived.
The first fossils of megalodons date back 20 million years, the species having become extinct 3.6 million years ago. Otodus megalodon was not only the largest shark in the world, but also one of the largest fishes ever seen, with estimates suggesting that it was between 15 and 18 metres long, three times longer than the largest recorded white shark. This explains the size of the tooth !
A discovery of great value.
The shark’s teeth can tell us a lot about these massive animals, such as what they have eaten, with teeth sometimes up to 18 centimetres long. The unofficial record for a megalodon tooth found in South Carolina is 6.5 inches, which was sold at auction in December for $2,600.
You’d think Jessica could get a substantial amount of money for that tooth if she decided to put it up for sale. But for now, she seems content to keep it at home, saying, « It’s amazing to see that we now have a fossil on our mantel that is between three and five million years old. It’s just fantastic ».