NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- A rising kindergartener will have quite the artifact to bring to show and tell when school resumes in Henrico County after Labor Day.
Five-year-old Xander Buck was searching for shark teeth with his dad while vacationing this week in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when he made a rather large discovery.
Xander, who was described by his mother Kelly as an avid shark tooth hunter, was walking on the beach with his father when he unearthed what appeared to be a megalodon tooth.
"He passed the shark's tooth and then I picked it up and then I said, 'Dad, come and look!'" Xander recalled. "And he said, 'Holy cow!' And then when we walked back, my grandma screamed."
"We were so excited," Kelly said.
A megalodon was a type of shark that became extinct two and a half million years ago.
The species is said to be among the largest sharks to ever exist.
"I wanted to make sure, so I submitted photos of the tooth to a couple of fossil/tooth groups on Facebook and hundreds of people have agreed that it’s a meg," Kelly continued. "I don’t think he quite understands the gravity of what he’s found, but it’s definitely the largest tooth we’ve ever found!"
As for the fate of his prized find, Kelly said Xander hoped to turn the giant tooth into a necklace.
