In fact, the word megalodon, or otodus megalodon, means "big tooth." In Tracewell's case, she found the former pearly white mostly buried, in a water-filled hole just yards from the shoreline.

What big teeth you have: Tooth root surface area can determine primate size. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2021 / 10 / 211026095407.htm.

One tooth struck her as odd: It was bigger than any known platypus tooth. After closer study, "I said, 'Wait a second, not only is it quite big, it's quite different as well,'" Pian remembers.