A shark tooth from a prehistoric megalodon that could be 20 million years old was unearthed by a six-year-old child. Sammy Shelton discovered the 10cm (4in) tooth on Bawdsey beach during a bank holiday break in Suffolk. A shark expert, Prof. Ben Garrod, certified that it belonged to a megalodon, the world’s largest shark. Sammy’s father Peter said that he was sleeping with it beside his bed since he was so attached to it. The couple, from Bradwell near Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk, were digging for fossils when they discovered the gigantic shark’s tooth, according to the Great Yarmouth Mercury. Sammy was ecstatic, according to Mr. Shelton, because they had seen shark teeth fragments on the sand previously, but nothing so large and heavy.

Photos of the discovery were emailed to Prof. Garrod, a broadcaster and evolutionary scientist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. According to Prof. Garrod, it belonged to a megalodon, the world’s largest shark. He went on to note that its teeth were not frequent along the UK shoreline, with only a few being recovered each year, but this was an extraordinary example, in superb condition, despite the fact that they were generally worn when discovered.