What the Heck Is This?

News
By Robert Roy Britt
published

This is a fun one. If you need a hint, try this:

You're seeing just the top of something, and a full-size person is standing within it.

Hint No. 2: It's 2 million years old. See the full image below and read on …

It's billed as the world's largest shark jaw, measuring 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall and 11 feet (3.4 meters) across. Each tooth is the size of a pair of hands. It's being auctioned off online, and the auction closes Monday. The bid as of Friday afternoon: $746,875.

The giant jaw is made from 182 fossilized from the extinct Carcharocles megalodon. Vito Bertucci, a jeweler-turned-fossil hunter, is behind the project. Check out the full story here.

For millions of years, C. megalodon, one of the largest predators to ever live on Earth, trolled nearly all the planet's oceans. Researchers have found evidence of the giant sharks stretching back 20 million years, but the species vanished from the fossil record about 2 million years ago.

Image Credit: Heritage Auctions

Got a strange or interesting photo related to science, nature or technology? What the Heck, send it to me, and maybe I'll use it. Or follow me on Twitter, or Facebook.

Robert Roy Britt
Robert Roy Britt

Robert is an independent health and science journalist and writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a former editor-in-chief of Live Science with over 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor. He has worked on websites such as Space.com and Tom's Guide, and is a contributor on Medium, covering how we age and how to optimize the mind and body through time. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California.