A 9 year old girl in Maryland got a big surprise for Christmas, but it wasn’t under her tree - it was an ancient fossil hiding underwater.
Alicia Sampson wrote on Facebook that her daughters Molly and Natalie asked for insulated waders for Christmas so that they could “go sharks tooth hunting like professionals” in the Chesapeake Bay area. And as soon as they got the waders, that was just what they did.
“The only thing Molly really wanted for Christmas was insulated chest waders because she knew she was missing out on some good fossil finds further out in the water,” Sampson told CBS News. “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.”
The weather was freezing with Sampson saying it was just 10 degrees outside, but the low tide made it a particularly good day for fossil hunting. For Molly, who declared on the way, “I’m looking for a Meg!” the conditions were just right.
By 10 a.m., she had found a massive and ancient surprise – a megalodon tooth as big as her hand.
“She told me she was wading in knee deep water when she saw it and dove in to get it,” Sampson told CBS News. “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.”
“I’m pretty sure Molly is feeling like this is the best Christmas ever,” her mom wrote on Facebook. “… This tooth was in the water, so thanks to the waders she got the best part of her present!”
Megalodons lived between 23 to 3.6 million years ago. They were known to grow to be more than 66 feet long - about three times the size of a great white.