WECT.com (Channel 6 News, NC) is reporting that several beach-goers are reporting finding abundant fossil shark teeth, including Megalodon teeth after recent coastal storms and higher than normal tides. These teeth started being found at the beginning of October from Surf City to North Topsail beach.

While the teeth of several different types of prehistoric sharks are being found, the biggest prizes are the large, fossil Megalodon teeth. These teeth are several million years old, mostly from the Miocene period and are coming out of the Hawthorn Formation. While divers frequently collect Megalodon teeth offshore after they erode out of this formation, to find them in abundance on the beaches is unusual. These fossil teeth typically get picked up quickly by beach-combers and it takes a significant event like a large storm to expose more in any quantity.

Most of the teeth found washed up on beaches tend to be broken or rather water worn, because of the action of the surf. A typical adult Megalodon tooth could be 4 or 5 inches in length, so they are rather unmistakable from the teeth from other prehistoric sharks just based on size. A 4-5 tooth would have come from a prehistoric, mega-shark in the 40 foot size range!

If you are interested in diving for fossil teeth there area number of diving charters in North Carolina that run Megalodon tooth diving adventures. A few are listed below.