Prehistoric Killer Shark, Carcharodon Megalodon Tooth Found

The tooth of a megalodon, a prehistoric massive killer shark, was found last August in Marysville Beach in Michigan.

David Wentz, 16, found the tooth while snorkeling in the beach by the St. Clair River. Wentz thought the tooth was an odd-looking rock.

The 3-inch long "rock" was later identified as the tooth from an extinct species called Carcharodon megalodon, or the "megatooth" shark.

The megalodon, which went extinct 2 million years ago, reached lengths of more than 60 feet. By comparison, Great White sharks generally are about 20 feet long.

The megatooth shark ate about 1,500 pounds of food a day, mostly feeding on whales and other large marine creatures.

It is believed the tooth reached the Great Lakes region by a human inhabitant who, like Wentz, found it and dropped it millions of years ago.

Another Carcharodon megalodon tooth was found in Palm Beach, FL, by Grant Johnson, a 9-year-old fourth grader, on Sunday. Johnson found the 5-inch-long, 4 1/2-inch-wide shark tooth in Egmont Key.

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