The megalodon could be Maryland's official shark if proposed bill passes
Maryland lawmakers introduced legislation that would make the megalodon the state's official shark.
If the proposed House Bill 97 and Senate Bill 135 -- sponsored by State Del. Todd Morgan and State Senator Jack Bailey -- pass through the General Assembly, the massive, long-extinct megalodon would be the official state shark on Oct. 1, 2026.
The mighty megalodon
The megalodon was once the most fearsome predator in the ocean, living roughly 23 to 3.6 million years ago. It is the largest shark to ever live, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
The megalodon was about three times the length of a modern-day great white shark, measuring about 60 feet. They weighed about 50 tons.
Shark tooth hunting
For those interested in shark tooth hunting, Calvert Cliffs State Park in Calvert County, Maryland, is a popular destination. According to Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, people who sift through the beach's sand may find teeth from various sharks, including maybe a megalodon.
Calvert Cliffs State Park has space where more than 600 species of fossils from 10 to 20 million years ago have been identified.
Megalodon tooth found in Maryland
In 2023, a 9-year-old Maryland girl and her older sister asked for insulated waters and fossil sifters so they could go shark tooth hunting in the Chesapeake Bay, near the Calvert Cliffs.
During their search in about 10-degree weather, 9-year-old Molly Sampson found an ancient megalodon tooth as big as her hand.
"She told me she was wading in knee deep water when she saw it and dove in to get it," Alicia Sampson, the girl's mother, told CBS News. "She said she got her arms all wet, but it was so worth it. The look on her face is the only thing that makes me regret not going with them because I can't even imagine the shriek that came from her mouth."
The Calvert Marine Museum confirmed the fossil's identity and authenticity.
Stephen Godfrey, curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum, told CBS News that the shark tooth belonged to the Otodus megalodon, which had been "one of the largest, if not the largest marine macropredator the world has ever known."
Godfrey said the shark would likely have been between 45 and 50 feet long.
"The massive root would have anchored this tooth firmly to the jaw, allowing megalodon the bite through any whale or dolphin it could catch," Godfrey said. "We know that it was an active predator because from time to time we find fossilized whale and dolphin bones that preserve tooth gouge marks made by megalodon."
Maryland's other official animals and symbols
From the Baltimore Oriole to the Blue Crab to the Black-eyed Susan, Maryland has so many official animals and symbols.
Did you know the official state drink is milk and the official exercise is walking?
Most Marylanders know the state's official reptile (Diamondback Terrapin), horse (Thoroughbred Horse), sport (jousting), team sport (lacrosse), dog (Chesapeake Bay Retriever), cocktail (Orange Crush), and dessert (Smith Island Cake).
