An outdoorsy eight-year-old found a fossilized shark tooth from a long-extinct species while he was on a family vacation in South Carolina earlier this month of August 2022.
Young Riley Gracely of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for vacation along with his father, Justin Gracely, his mother, Janelle Gracely, and his brother, Collin, in August.
During the trip, the family stopped by Palmetto Fossil Excursions, an educational fossil-hunting expedition facility in Summerville, South Carolina.
There, Riley “was walking around the bases of these piles of gravel and dirt and noticed what he thought was the edge of a tooth,” said the proud father, Justin Gracely, in an email to Fox News Digital.
“When he pulled it out, he was so excited.”
Riley had uncovered a 4.75-inch angustidens tooth in the company’s “premium” gravel layer.
“We are so proud of Riley,” added Justin Gracely.
The dad said the staff at Palmetto Fossil Excursions explained the significance of Riley’s find, which reportedly stood out because of its “species, size and condition.”
Angustidens were a prehistoric megatoothed shark that lived about 33 million to 22 million years during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. Experts believe angustidens were a close relative of megalodons, an extinct prehistoric shark.
“CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! This young man just scored a 4.75″ Angustiden tooth in our Premium Gravel Layer piles on a dry dig!!!” wrote the Palmetto Fossil Excursions group in a Facebook post on Aug. 11.
“Just to give perspective — any [angustidens] over 4″ is the equivalent of finding a 6″ [megalodon], and an [angustidens] at 4.75″ is the equivalent of finding a 6.5″ megalodon tooth,” the group added.
One commenter, reacting to the post about Riley Gracely’s find, wrote on Facebook, “So precious! He has the love for fossils already!”
Another person wrote, “Meet a future paleontologist! Good job, young man!”
Riley Gracely’s dad Justin Gracely also told Fox News Digital that his son is an avid fisherman who loves science and the outdoors.
“His collection is still in its early stages, so he’s keeping it for now, but who knows in time,” Justin Gracely wrote. “It would be nice for others to enjoy it, too.”
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