Megalodon shark tooth found in Hemel Hempstead

Image source, Family photo

Image caption, Ben with the 10cm-long tooth he found at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex

A 13-year-old has discovered a 10cm-long shark tooth at Walton-on-the-Naze, on the east coast of England.

Ben and his dad, Jason, were taking a weekend break searching for fossils when they made the dental discovery.

Ben's dad said his son was "over the moon" about finding the tooth from a gigantic prehistoric shark.

"We could just see the edge of it, sticking out, and Ben knew straight away it was something and pulled it out of the sand" Jason said.

Image caption, Megalodons razor sharp teeth could grow up to 18 centimetres long.

Ben wants to become a palaeontologist (somebody who studies fossils) adding that the giant tooth was a "great addition" to his collection.

Essex Wildlife Trust said the tooth would be from 20 million years to 3.6 million years old.

This is not the first time megalodon teeth have been discovered here, but to find a whole tooth intact is uncommon.

What is a Megalodon?

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The toothy monsters went extinct around 3.6 million years ago

The Megalodon was a gigantic prehistoric shark that lived in warm seas millions of years ago and is thought to have been one of the largest fishes ever to exist.

Its skeleton is made of cartilage - strong flexible connective tissue - rather than bone.

Megalodons could grow to about 65 feet (19.8 m) long - more than three times longer than the biggest ever recorded great white shark.

It's believed the creatures first existed about 20 million years ago, long after the dinosaurs became extinct - 65 million years ago.