A FOSSIL hunter got a monster surprise after discovering the tooth of a giant prehistoric shark on a Clacton beach.

Tony Gees, 65, was scouring the shoreline near Clacton Pier when he spotted the fossilised tooth.

The vicious-looking gnasher is two and a half inches long and came from a megalodon, which means 'mega tooth'.

They were the biggest shark that ever lived and cruised prehistoric oceans between 50 and 3.5million years ago.

Tony said: "I knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw it.

"Megalodons were the biggest sea predators there has ever been.

"Great white sharks can grow up to 22ft long, but that's pretty rare.

"These monsters could grow to more than 60ft."

Tony, of Oxford Road, Clacton, has been fossil-hunting on beaches between Point Clear and Walton in his spare time for the last seven years.

He is also curator of the East Essex Aviation Society Museum at Point Clear and used to search for the wreckage of crashed military planes.

The semi-retired highways inspector said: "I go down to the beach nearly every day and pick up bits and pieces, but this is the first megalodon tooth I have found.

"I've found fossilised sharks' teeth at Point Clear, which are the ones commonly found at Walton.

"I found a wild boar jawbone at Point Clear and I've got two woolly rhino teeth which are quite rare.

"I also found a mammoth ankle bone, part of a mammoth forehead and mammoth teeth in Clacton, which is quite amazing, but I didn't think I would find a megalodon tooth there - I'm well chuffed

"There is a lot to be found. I'm just waiting for a few winter storms to bring more up."

Fascinating facts

Largest predator that ever lived

Name means 'big tooth'

Lived 23million-2.6million years ago

Grew up to 60ft - three times longer than great white

Weighed up to 60 tonnes

About 276 teeth up to seven inches long

Bite more powerful than tyrannosaurus rex

Fed on prehistoric whales