You know how when your kids find something you usually dread seeing what it is? It could be something dead or something sticky, you never know. But the parents of this little boy from Virginia were happy to see what their son Xander Buck found on a North Carolina beach. It appears the 5-year-old found a Megalodon tooth that is anywhere from 23 to 3.6 million years old.
The family on vacation usually look around for shark’s teeth, but this was a very special find. When Xander showed her the tooth, mom Kelly Buck took to sharing to Facebook groups to identify what the tooth could be from. They say that they don’t want to sell it or get rid of it, but would like more information about it from a fossil specialist.
While speaking to Fox News, Buck said:
“Xander was ecstatic about the find. He is an avid shark tooth ‘hunter,’ he’s been finding teeth for about 2 years now – completely on his own. When he found the tooth, he knew exactly what it was. It is by far the largest tooth we’ve ever found. He wants to make it into a necklace but we will probably mount it or put it in a frame.”
Some are theorizing that the tooth could have come from a Megalodon anywhere between between 33.5 and 58.7 feet in length. Others are guessing the shark could have been even larger at around 82 feet long.
This is a pretty lucky find. Others who look for these things can put themselves in far more dangerous situations. Like that Florida diver who was looking for Megalodon teeth when he was bit in the head by an alligator. We hope that the Buck family does get the information they want from an archaeological expert. Also if it’s worth anything, maybe that could go to Xander’s college fund because if he likes looking for shark teeth now, perhaps he will grow up to become an archaeologist himself.