According to a US expert, the image of a triangular tooth doing the rounds on social media is really of the prehistoric great white shark Megalodon. According to the Reddit user who shared the picture, the tooth was just found in a phosphate mine.
The post's author, BushyBeaver187, requests help from other Reddit users to identify it. The user included the phrase "Help Identifying" when sharing the article.
"The girl discovered this at a phosphate mine. Using Google, we are attempting to determine if this tooth is a megalodon or a great white. We appreciate any assistance. "He added anything further in the comments area.
Numerous Reddit members contributed their justifications.
"Too big to be a significant white tooth and appears quite fossilized. I believe you have a Megalodon tooth here, "wrote a user.
One more user stated, "I'm not sure why you received fewer votes, but I'm very confident that tooth is a meg. Just the size suggests a megalodon. A big fan."
According to Ashby Gale, a geologist, and proprietor of Charleston Fossil Adventures, the tooth belonged to a Megalodon, who spoke with Newsweek. He estimates that the fossil might be between 3.6 and 15.9 million years old.
The source claims that while shark teeth may quickly become fossils, the rest of the animal is rarely found in this form. Uncertainty surrounds the Megalodon tooth's size in the Reddit image. The largest one ever discovered was over 7 inches long, indicating that the shark was enormous. Megalodons were marine creatures that were found in almost all the oceans.
It is thought that the famous shark species became extinct 3.6 million years ago.