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Couple finds prehistoric megalodon tooth on North Carolina beach

A megalodon tooth.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. — A couple out for a stroll last week along Wrightsville Beach came across something much more exciting than the typical seashell or sea glass.

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Sydney Williams found a megalodon tooth as she walked on the beach last Tuesday morning, WECT reported.

The megalodon was a prehistoric shark, and the tooth could be 2.6 million years old.

Williams said she and her boyfriend, Brian Piccirilli, take walks on the beach most mornings, but have never found anything like this.

“Well, (Brian) dropped down to his knees and was just kind of like, ‘Ahhhh!’” Williams said.

“We called our parents. They were excited,” Piccirilli said. “And then showed everyone at work.”

The couple brought the megalodon tooth to their friend, Audrey Longtin, who works at The Workshop, a store that specializes in shark tooth jewelry. Longtin was able to confirm that the tooth had belonged to a megalodon.

“As soon as a tooth is over 3 1/2 to 4 inches long, you know it’s a megalodon,” Longtin said. “The megalodon is the biggest predator that ever existed, so they are the biggest teeth you can find. So, when you find something that big, it’s easy to recognize.”

The tooth Williams and Piccirilli found is about 4 inches long.

Williams and Piccirilli plan to keep the tooth and show it off in a shadow box.