Jaxon Hinton was walking along the shore in Maryland last March. Suddenly, he spotted a pointy object sticking out of the sand. It was a tooth from an ancient shark called a megalodon.

Jaxon, now 11, had found smaller megalodon teeth before. But this one is his biggest find yet. It’s nearly the size of his hand!

“It’s really special to me because it’s superhard to find one this size,” he says.

In April, Jaxon got another reason to be excited. Lawmakers in Maryland voted to make the megalodon a state symbol. Maryland is the first state to have an official shark.

Jaxon Hinton was walking near the water in Maryland last March. Suddenly, he saw a pointy object in the sand. It was a tooth. It was from a megalodon. That’s an ancient shark.

Jaxon is now 11. He had found smaller megalodon teeth before. But this one is his biggest find yet. It’s nearly the size of his hand!

“It’s really special to me because it’s superhard to find one this size,” he says.

In April, Jaxon got exciting news. Officials in Maryland held a vote. They made the megalodon a state symbol. Maryland is the first state to have an official shark.

Megalodons ruled Earth’s oceans millions of years ago. They were the biggest sharks of all time. They grew to be as long as 80 feet. That’s about the length of two school buses in a row!

The giant sharks feasted on whales, dolphins, and seals. That helped keep the populations of those animals from growing too large.

“Without sharks, the ocean ecosystem would become unbalanced,” says Stephen Godfrey. He’s a scientist at the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland.

Megalodons died out nearly 4 million years ago. Over time, their bodies rotted away. Some of their teeth eventually became fossils.

Megalodons ruled the oceans millions of years ago. They were the biggest sharks ever. They grew to be as long as 80 feet. That’s about as long as two school buses in a row!

The giant sharks ate whales, dolphins, and seals. That kept the numbers of those animals from getting too big.

“Without sharks, the ocean ecosystem would become unbalanced,” says Stephen Godfrey. He’s a scientist. He works at the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland.

Megalodons died out nearly 4 million years ago. Over time, their bodies rotted away. Some of their teeth later became fossils.