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Girl, 9, Finds Giant Megalodon Tooth On Maryland Beach

January 11, 2023

A 9-year-old girl in Maryland found a big surprise on Christmas Day, but it wasn't under her tree — it was on the beach.

Molly / Calvert Marine Museum Facebook

Alicia Sampson wrote on Facebook that the only thing her daughters wanted for Christmas was insulated waders so they could "go sharkstooth hunting like professionals".

"As soon as they finished breakfast they got their waders on as quick as they could and headed to the cliffs with my husband Bruce," Sampson told CBS News.

On Christmas morning it was only 10 degrees outside, but the low tide made it a particularly good day for fossil hunting.

Calvert Marine Museum Facebook

By 10 a.m., Molly, 9, had found a 5-inch megalodon tooth.

"She told me she was wading in knee deep water when she saw it and dove in to get it," Sampson said. "She said she got her arms all wet, but it was so worth it. The look on her face is the only thing that makes me regret not going with them because I can't even imagine the shriek that came from her mouth."

The family took the tooth to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland. On the first Friday of every month, the museum invites the public to bring their findings to the museum to be identified by museum staff.

Calvert Marine Museum Facebook

According to the museum, Molly had taken her find to their paleontology department, but still gets to keep it to enjoy for herself.