“This shell looks like a tooth:” 5-year-old finds megalodon vestige in Cherry Grove
Brantley Griffin’s parents thought they had found something quite interesting on the beach in Cherry Grove on Thursday.
Amanda and John Griffin and her husband, John, who were visiting from Asheboro, N.C., were observing a Portuguese man o’war jellyfish that had washed up behind their Springs Towers family condo at about 7:30 p.m. when their 5-year-old son stumbled across something even more amazing.
“We heard him say ‘This shell looks like a tooth,’ and started to toss it,” Amanda Griffin said.
What Brantley discovered turned out to be a megalodon tooth that is more than 3 million years old, considering scientists believe the megalodon lived between 16 million and 3.6 million years ago.
The megalodon grew to be as long as 60 feet, scientists say, and the tooth is about as big at Brantley’s hand.
“We realized what he had and flipped out,” Amanda Griffin said. “He got so excited and had to FaceTime both grandparents to show them.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 12:51 AM.
