12 January 2023 , 01:47
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A nine-year-old shark tooth hunting fanatic had a Christmas Day to remember when she found a rare 15-million-year-old fossil on a Maryland beach.
Molly Sampson was combing the beach for shark teeth with her older sister Natalie, 17, and mum Alicia Sampson on Maryland's Calvert Cliffs State Park when she made the incredible discovery of a five-inch tooth belonging to a megalodon shark which have been extinct for more than 3.6 million years, according to National Geographic.
Alicia said her husband Bruce is an avid shark tooth hunter and daughter Molly has followed in his footsteps with a collection of over 400 teeth.
The megalodon shark tooth (left) is five inches in size compared to Molly's smallest find at Calvert Cliffs State Park (Calvert Marine Museum/Instagram)Speaking to The Washington Post, Alicia said: "Molly has been searching for a meg because she knows how big they can be, and also how rare they are. Molly has literally been shark tooth hunting since she could walk on the beach."
The family got the tooth examined at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland, where curator of palaeontology Stephen Godfrey revealed that it belonged to a species known as Otodus meglaodon.
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He confirmed that the tooth was around 15 million years old and believed the shark would have been between 45 and 50 feet in length.
Megalodon sharks have been extinct for more than 3.6 million years (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Godfrey said: "Megalodon teeth are found on a fairly regular basis along Calvert Cliffs, however one that large is rare indeed. I was very happy for Molly because I have known for some time now that she is passionate about becoming a palaeontologist, and her find may well seal the deal."
Calvert Marine Museum shared Molly's discovery on its official Instagram account with a montage of photos and videos of the nine-year-old with her prized find.
The caption read: "Future paleontologist, Molly, was out searching for fossils on Christmas morning, when what to her wondering eyes appeared…but a huge megalodon tooth!
"Molly was excited to share her awesome find with our paleontology department last week at the museum. We love seeing and hearing about the treasures you find along the shore.
Molly's impressive collection of shark teeth (Alicia Sampson)"Enjoy Molly’s photos below! The third photo is of her largest and smallest shark teeth found along Calvert beaches."
Godfrey admitted that the tooth could be sold for a high price due to its rarity, but he was confident Molly would stay loyal to the ancient fossil.
He added: "Molly will never sell her find because the life-affirming value it holds is priceless."
Among her large collection of shark teeth, Molly has an array of species ranging from great white, mako and sand tiger.