![Reconstruction of Megalodon Reconstruction of Megalodon](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/megalodon.jpeg?quality=85&w=2400)
By Sarah Begley
Beachgoers in North Carolina have been finding ancient surprises on their walks along the shore: 6-inch-long fossilized teeth from enormous sharks that swam the oceans up to 15 million years ago.
The specimens have been found in North Topsail Beach and Surf City, local NBC affiliate WITN reports. Experts believe they were recently uncovered from under the ocean floor after storms hit the area.
The teeth, large enough to cover an adult’s entire palm, hint at the size of the animal they’re from: using estimations based on the tooth-to-body length ratio of modern sharks, experts believe these 6-inch-long teeth would come from a 60-foot-long extinct Megalodon shark.
[WITN]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Contact us at letters@time.com