Shark Week In Southern Maryland: 23 Facts From Glowing Sharks To 30,000 Teeth

Shark Week in Southern Maryland centered on Sharkfest at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Md., held July 11, presenting a range of shark facts about anatomy, senses, speed, strength, survival and conservation. The event comes as Maryland named the extinct megalodon its official state shark, a first-in-the-nation designation tied to how common megalodon fossils are across the Chesapeake Bay region. The designation was passed as part of Senate Bill 35 during the 2026 legislative session, signed by Gov. Wes Moore, and takes effect Oct. 1, 2026. The museum said Calvert Cliffs is among the top U.S. sites for finding megalodon teeth and that it holds more than 100,000 fossil specimens, noting the museum as Maryland’s State Paleontology Center. With Shark Week running July 26 through Aug. 1, the exhibit highlighted topics such as cartilage skeletons and sharks’ electroreception capabilities.