My First Big Meg (well, sort of).....

Work brought me back to the DC / Baltimore area again this past Tuesday similar to the prior week.  Last week was unbelievable cold (teens and 30’s).   This week had some awesome weather which made me wonder if I could squeeze in a guided virgin trip with Daryl to the Potomac or a reprise of the Chesapeake Beach.   But I knew my schedule was tight which wouldn’t allow me to hunt for teeth.

My job was assessing a senior living apartment complex.  I was the inspecting the mechanical room equipment (fire riser / boilers / water heaters…etc) and while I was checking the area, my eyes came across something in a bin on a shelf.   The quick glance instantly registered something in my brain and I brought my eyes back to the bin for a further assessment.   THERE IT WAS….. I asked the maintenance personnel “Bob” if he collected teeth also.   He stated “What?”.  I said, “Teeth….fossil shark teeth” (as I pointed to a large jar containing approximately 1,500 teeth).   “Oh that…”, Bob said.   “I found that about 3 years ago during an apartment ‘turn over’ in which the tenant ended up leaving a bunch of stuff behind, included that”.  He further stated, “It was just too unique and I couldn’t bear to throw it in the dumpster with all the other junk”.  He then asked if I collected them and I proceeded to tell him about my last GMR trip in addition to going with my brother at the Chesapeake Beach last year….etc.   Bob smiled and said, “Looks like they finally found a good home”.  

I almost need a change of pants and had to make him repeat himself to make sure I understood him correctly.   With hands a shaking, I grabbed the dusty jar out of the bin for a closer look.  That’s when my hands really shook and almost dropped the large glass jar.  For behind the jar, covered in dust, was something I did not expect….. a 3.5” meg.   “Oh yeah”, Bob said, “There was a big one that came with that jar too”.   I pick the monster tooth up, looked at him and said, ”Carcharocles megalodon”, as drool streamed down my shirt.

I make it back to my brother’s house that evening and told him the story which he didn’t believe till I pulled out the meg and jar.   That night I was as excited as my 5-year old niece going through the huge pile of teeth on the dining room table.   I ended up giving her about 500 or so “beaters” so she could hide them this summer in the sandbox and find them along with my 2-year old niece.

I just got done going through them again here and home and pulled out about 150+ prime ones.  The remaining ones are in the “Christmas” teeth bin for my other nieces and nephews.  Looks like Christmas came early for all of us……  Bob didn’t know where they came from, but all I know is that most of them have an awesome patina to them.  They all had a cool worn / polished look to them.

Who says you can’t work and hunt teeth at the same time? 

Brad

aka “Brachiomyback”