Megalodon shark tooth near 7 inches found off North Carolina coast, diver says

A diving instructor known as the Megalodon Tooth Huntress says she found a prehistoric shark tooth nearly 7 inches long off the North Carolina coast.

Sandra Clopp was 50 miles offshore with a team or professional divers when the 6.94-inch tooth appeared at a depth of 100 feet. It happened on May 16, and a video of discovery has been viewed thousands of times on social media.

“I saw it from a few feet away and could tell it was huge,” Clopp told The Charlotte Observer. “The largest (megalodon) teeth in the world are the 7 (inch) teeth. Only a small handful in this size range have been recovered in NC; or anywhere in the world!”

There is an ongoing debate over the biggest megalodon tooth ever found, but 6.94 inches is close to it. The Museum of Natural History in Australia says the largest “ever” is 7.08661 inches, while The Encyclopedia Britannica reports “the largest extant megalodon tooth” is 6.9 inches.

Meanwhile, a host of fossil tooth retailers say the biggest is 7.48-inches, which some say was found off Chile and others say came from the deserts of Peru.

Eastern North Carolina and its coastline are a major draw for megalodon tooth hunters, because the region was once the floor of an ancient ocean, archaeologists say.

Megalodons “reigned as the top predators” in the water 3.6 million years ago, the National Museum of Natural History reports. It’s estimated they grew to around 60-feet in length and weighed 50 tons – “the size and weight of a railroad car,” experts say.

“The megalodon was a fearsome predator,” the museum says. “It had a powerful bite with a jaw full of teeth as large as an adult human’s hand.”

Clopp’s discovery weighs nearly 1.5 pounds, and retains serrations and “very intact enamel on the front,” she noted.

It was found along a ledge and likely became exposed after a coastal storm churned the sand and broke “apart the matrix that the fossils fossilized in,” she says.

“The ones I find and film are toppers (found on top of the sand). They were more plentiful back when the ledges were first discovered 20 years ago,” Clopp said.

“They are getting scarcer as it can take eons for matrix to break down by ocean movements. ... The chances of finding a 6.94 (inch) or bigger are so slim that it took me 2,000 hours diving off N.C. to find this one.”

It’s actually the third megalodon tooth larger than 6 inches Clopp has found while diving the state’s coastline. The other two were a 6.89-inch tooth and a 6.83-inch tooth, she says.

Clopp’s 6.94-inch tooth has been gifted to her parents, where “it stays safe,” she says.

Her prehistoric tooth collection has grown so large that she’s not above selling to other collectors.

“I’ve lost count. I have drawers of pathological ones, high quality ones, barnacles on some, and unique colors such as Carolina Gold,” says Clopp, who has been a diving instructor for 22 years.

“The thrill of the hunt never goes away. Each tooth is as exciting as an adult Easter egg type hunt can be. Each specimen is different and special; and 2-20 million years old!”

Clopp offers scuba diving lessons in Raleigh, Southport and Carolina Beach. To find out more, visit www.urbanmanta.com.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Megalodon shark tooth near 7 inches found off North Carolina coast, diver says."