Girl finds megalodon tooth the size of her hand at Maryland beach. ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’

A 9-year-old shark enthusiast made a rare find at the beach on Christmas Day, Maryland museum officials said.

Alicia Sampson, of Prince Frederick, Maryland, wrote on Facebook on Dec. 25 that she gave her daughter Molly insulated waders so that she could “go sharkstooth hunting like professionals.”

Later that day, clad in her new waders, Molly plucked a massive black tooth from the ocean, Sampson wrote. It was as big as her hand.

The find was confirmed to be a fossilized megalodon tooth, according to a post from the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland.

A curator of paleontology at the museum told CBS News that the tooth was a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of find.”

Though only 9, Molly has amassed a sprawling collection of over 400 shark teeth, her father told the outlet. The megalodon tooth, which measures 5 inches, is her largest by far.

The megalodon, which may have been up to 50 feet, roamed the ocean millions of years ago, according to the San Diego Natural History Museum. It is believed to be the largest carnivorous fish to exist.

Its teeth have been found all over the world, including off the coast of North and South America, Africa, Europe and India, leading scientists to conclude the shark dwelled in warm water, according to the museum.

The prehistoric creature likely shed tens of thousands of teeth throughout its lifetime, according to Newsweek.

Still, people are willing to shell out sizable sums to get their hands on the shark’s teeth. A 6.5-inch megalodon tooth sold at auction in 2019 for about $2,600, according to McClatchy News reporting.

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