Full Breakdown
Megalodon Tooth Discovered on New Jersey Beach
8/18/2026, 4:19:40 AM
How the Fossil Was Found
On August 11, Mike Bowers and his 11-year-old son Bo were walking the rock jetty at Sea Isle City’s Townsend Inlet when they spotted a protruding object in a narrow gap between two rocks. Bo reached in and retrieved a large, dark, jagged tooth that the family later learned belonged to an Otodus megalodon, the extinct giant shark that vanished about 4 million years ago. The Bowerses, vacationing from western Pennsylvania, took the specimen to the New Jersey State Museum for verification.
Rarity of Megalodon Remains in New Jersey
Mike Bowers reported that museum officials told him only five megalodon teeth had previously been documented from New Jersey beaches, making the Bowers find the sixth known specimen. She added that the tooth’s condition is “extraordinary” compared with typical New Jersey finds, which are usually heavily worn.
Museum Verification and Official Comments
A museum fossil-lab technician examined the tooth and confirmed it as a genuine megalodon tooth, describing it as “100 % true.” Ehret emphasized that the preservation quality resembles teeth more commonly recovered in North Carolina, where the geological context is more favorable. The museum allowed the Bowers family to retain the fossil, noting that it was collected on public beach property.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There was a rock jetty and a real nice looking beach,” — Mike Bowers
- “He likes to look for shark teeth and stuff like that,” — Mike Bowers
- “These teeth are highly uncommon in New Jersey because we do not have the right aged sediments preserved at or near the surface,” — Dana Ehret
