Father and son find Megalodon tooth at New Jersey beach

CAPE MAY, N.J. (NBC, KYMA) - They've been gone from earth for millions of years, but one of the largest sharks to ever live still provided a family with the find of a lifetime.

Their hunt for cool shells on the beach led to this jaw dropping find that turned out to be millions of years in the making.

Mike Bowers and his 11-year-old son Bo discovered the huge fossilized shark tooth wedged in a rock jetty along the beach in Sea Isle city last week.

While the tooth was hidden deep in the rock jetty, Bo's hands were small enough to yank it out.

The family, from Western Pennsylvania, says they showed the tooth to experts at the New Jersey State Museum and Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center.

Both confirmed it came from the mouth of a megalodon shark.

Extinct for more than three million years, megalodons were massive, an estimated 50 to 60 feet long.

The largest shark to have ever lived.

Experts speculate that it may have been dredged up with sand from the ocean and pumped ashore during a recent beach replenishment project.

A prehistoric souvenir found during a Jersey Shore vacation this family will never forget.