A grandfather and his 5‑year‑old grandson found a 1.5‑inch fossilized shark tooth at Virginia Beach near 52nd Street that experts at the Virginia Aquarium say could be from a juvenile megalodon. The tooth’s worn serrations make precise species ID difficult, but its dark coloration (black basal, brown crown) indicates mineralization consistent with a fossil. Chesapeake Bay is a known hotspot for such finds; erosion and recent storms may have carried this specimen to the Oceanfront. Using the common rule of thumb (about 10 feet of shark per inch of tooth), the tooth suggests an animal roughly 15 feet long.
1.5‑inch Fossil Shark Tooth Washes Ashore at Virginia Beach — Could It Be a Juvenile Megalodon?
A grandfather and his 5‑year‑old grandson found a 1.5‑inch fossilized shark tooth at Virginia Beach near 52nd Street that experts at the Virginia Aquarium say could be from a juvenile megalodon. The tooth’s worn serrations make precise species ID difficult, but its dark coloration (black basal, brown crown) indicates mineralization consistent with a fossil. Chesapeake Bay is a known hotspot for such finds; erosion and recent storms may have carried this specimen to the Oceanfront. Using the common rule of thumb (about 10 feet of shark per inch of tooth), the tooth suggests an animal roughly 15 feet long.
02:45, 09.11.2025Science
Ancient shark tooth found at Virginia Beach’s North End
VIRGINIA BEACH — A small but intriguing relic of the ancient seas turned up at the city’s North End, suggesting a direct link to marine life from millions of years ago.
Terry Siviter and his 5‑year‑old grandson, Jackson Fox, were searching the shoreline near 52nd Street on a warm October afternoon when Siviter spotted a smooth, brown tooth in the sand as a gentle wave receded. The tooth measured about 1.5 inches long.
‘It just caught my eye,’ Siviter recalled. ‘A bigger wave came, and I grabbed it just in time.’
Recognizing it might be special—Siviter had seen megalodon teeth before—he sent a photo to experts at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. The aquarium confirmed the object is a fossilized shark tooth and said it could belong to a juvenile megalodon, an extinct giant shark that lived millions of years ago.
Identification caveat: The tooth’s serrated edges are worn, which makes a definitive species identification difficult. Nonetheless, certain features support its status as a fossil: the darker coloration (a black basal and brown crown) indicates mineralization over long time, and the overall shape is consistent with ancient lamnid teeth.
Scientists note the Chesapeake Bay region is a known hotspot for megalodon teeth, though they are more commonly uncovered along river banks where ancient marine sediments lie exposed. As those banks erode, teeth and other fossils can tumble into waterways and be carried by currents to beaches such as the Oceanfront. Aquarium staff suggested recent storms may have helped transport this specimen to the shore.
How big was the shark? Paleontologists often use tooth length to estimate total body length: a rule of thumb is roughly 10 feet of shark per inch of tooth. By that estimate, a 1.5‑inch tooth would correspond to a shark about 15 feet long—far smaller than the largest megalodons, but consistent with a juvenile individual.
Megalodons (Carcharocles megalodon) lived from about 23 million to 3.6 million years ago and could reach lengths far greater than today’s great white shark. The largest recorded megalodon teeth exceed 7 inches.
For now, the tooth adds a vivid, tangible connection between the present shoreline and a deep, prehistoric past—and a reminder that the fossils beneath our feet sometimes make dramatic appearances after storms and tides.
Contact: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center for verification and further study; local reporters were on scene.