Mega-toothed Shark

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Giant Shark Prowls the Mall

Come face-to-face with a 52-foot-long model of a female mega-toothed shark suspended above our new dining area. This extinct fish’s full name is Carcharocles megalodon, but it’s often called simply “megalodon” for its giant teeth.

As the top predator of its day, Carcharocles megalodon devoured small baleen whales, seals, sea turtles, and large fishes in shallow seas around the globe, including here in the Chesapeake Bay region. It may have even swum where the Museum is now, back when much of Washington, D.C. was underwater. Though it went extinct 3.6 million years ago, this massive shark left a lasting mark (and lots of teeth!) in the fossil record.

This model shark, weighing over 2,000 lbs., was installed in our newly renovated dining space in 2019.

Did you know?

This shark’s scientific name, "Carcharocles megalodon," means “glorious shark, big tooth”—pretty fitting, don’t you think?

Look for

a full length of the megalodon model — The dark back and pale belly that helped this predator blend into sunlit surface waters above and the deep, dark ocean below

A map of where the megalodon once lived — A map showing where Carcharocles megalodon fossils have been found around the world

a cast of a megalodon tooth — A touchable cast of a five-inch-long tooth—roughly the size of your hand

Things to Do

Snap a selfie with the mega-toothed shark and its multiple rows of teeth.
Touch a bronze cast of a tooth to feel the serrated edges that helped this predator slice through meat and bone.
Grab a bite to eat in the Atrium Café or Ocean Terrace Café while you ponder this shark’s massive jaws and appetite.