Mike Bowers and his son Bo Bowers found the fossil on August 11 in Sea Isle City, near Townsend Inlet bay.
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Megalodons were the largest predatory sharks in Earth’s history. They went extinct about 4 million years ago. The photos show a huge, dark, serrated tooth – its length matches that of 11-year-old Bo’s palm.
The family living in Pennsylvania was vacationing in Wildwood, but on a cloudy day decided to look for shells elsewhere. “There was a stone pier and a very beautiful-looking beach. I thought – well, let’s stop by and take a look,” Mike Bowers told Fox News Digital.
The father noticed something sticking out in a small crevice between two rocks, but his hand didn’t fit there, so he called his son. Bo hesitantly reached his hand between the rocks at first, but upon seeing the find, immediately pulled it out.
The 11-year-old said he could hardly believe the tooth was millions of years old. “He likes to look for shark teeth and similar things,” said Mike Bowers. However, according to him, the family certainly did not expect to find such an impressively sized specimen.
Since the tooth was found on a public beach, the family was allowed to keep it. On their way home to western Pennsylvania, the Bowers stopped at the New Jersey state museum to have the find examined.
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“We went to the fossil lab. A specialist examined it and confirmed – it is 100% a genuine megalodon tooth,” Mike Bowers said.
He also said he learned from a museum employee that previously only five megalodon tooth finds had been recorded on New Jersey beaches. The Bowers family’s discovery became the sixth.
New Jersey state museum representative Dana Ehret confirmed the authenticity of the find. According to him, such teeth are very rare on the New Jersey coast because there are no suitable-aged deposits preserved at or near the surface.
“The tooth found by the Bowers is in exceptionally good condition, especially considering it was found in New Jersey. It reminds me of teeth found in North Carolina, where they are much more common,” said D. Ehret. According to him, teeth found in New Jersey are usually much more worn because they spend a long time in the water.
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