Young students from Southern Maryland and Prince George’s County testified before Maryland’s Senate Education, Energy and Environment Committee to advocate for designating the prehistoric megalodon as the state’s official shark, highlighting fossil finds along the Chesapeake Bay and boosting educational engagement in the legislative process.
On March 12, 2026, 9-year-old Zoey Godfrey and 11-year-old Harper Coale appeared at the hearing for Senate Bill 135, sponsored by Sen. Jack Bailey (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s). Zoey displayed a poster of the megalodon (Otodus megalodon), while Harper urged support, noting fossil teeth discoveries along the Chesapeake Bay and at Calvert Cliffs State Park in Calvert County. Harper stated, “Even though the megalodon is extinct, worrying about it today can help people understand the ocean’s ecosystem and the role sharks play in our nature today.”
Stephen Godfrey, Zoey’s father and curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Calvert County, testified that the megalodon reached nearly 80 feet and that its fossilized teeth have been recovered in seven Maryland counties. He distributed sets of genuine megalodon teeth in plastic bags to committee members, each containing a note reading: “Genuine Megalodon Tooth? Maryland State Shark?”
The Calvert Marine Museum supports the designation, emphasizing the species’ iconic status in Maryland’s paleontological record. No other U.S. state has named an official shark, so Maryland would pioneer the symbol if the bill passes.
Sen. Bailey remarked, “I never thought I would be popular in science. I actually got there by sponsoring a bill.” The measure drew backing from fourth-grade students at Beltsville Academy in Prince George’s County, who wrote persuasive letters and created megalodon drawings.
Teacher Anna Shay, 22, at Beltsville Academy, explained that a student’s parent alerted her to the bill. She and her team integrated it into a cross-curricular project on writing, science, and social studies. Shay said, “Even if it doesn’t pass, the experience they had is being able to write a persuasive letter and being involved in the legislative process. At the end of the day, their voices matter. I listened to them. Their government listened to them. They have so much value in this world.”
The House companion, HB 97, sponsored by Del. Todd Morgan (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s), is set for a hearing Tuesday. Senate Bill 135 received its first reading January 14, 2026, after pre-filing October 2, 2025, and underwent a hearing March 12 following a canceled earlier date. If enacted, the designation would take effect October 1, 2026.
Fossils of the megalodon, an apex predator extinct for millions of years, abound in Southern Maryland’s Miocene-era deposits, particularly Calvert Cliffs, drawing researchers and visitors to sites like the Calvert Marine Museum. The push ties into regional pride in paleontology and marine heritage, educating on shark conservation through an extinct giant’s lens.
The bill remains in committee following the hearing, with no further action reported as of March 17, 2026. Commemorative designations face scrutiny in Annapolis due to proliferation of state symbols, though student testimony often sways support.