“When this animal was alive, this area was submerged,” Kirk Johnson, the museum’s Sant director, told Washington Examiner. “So that model is actually hanging where the original animal could have been swimming, quite literally.”

While the megalodon model is suspended above the Ocean Terrace Cafe, you can get an even closer look at the jaws of this 50-ton animal, recreated with teeth found nearby in the Potomac River.

“If you’re a shark, your main job is to swim around the ocean and eat things,” Johnson said. “When you bite things, occasionally you lose a tooth. No problem, you get rows and rows of teeth. So you’re basically a tooth‑making machine, and you’re a biting machine, and over time you lose teeth, and those teeth sink to the bottom of the sea. So it is quite literally raining sharks’ teeth in the ocean all the time, everywhere in the world.”

Johnson says these exhibits are a star attraction for Shark Week at the museum. It’s a chance for visitors to see the 6-inch teeth up close, then step back and appreciate just how outsize this prehistoric shark really was.

“Jaws was big and scary,” Kirkland said. “Jaws is like a little baby puppy compared to this thing. This is the ultimate shark right here. So come to the Natural History Museum and see the ultimate shark.”

10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20560

Hang out with sharks at feeding time

Just a few miles north, head to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, where visitors can see eight different species of sharks and, if they are lucky, even catch feeding time.

“Coming here to visit, and seeing the animals that we have in the habitats here, ranging from horn sharks to blacktip reef sharks, to sand tigers,” Jay Bradley, the curator of the Blue Wonders exhibit, told the Washington Examiner. “One of the things we’re trying to dispel is that a lot of times people think that sharks are these big gigantic things, you know, eating machines, and there are many different body types and designs and ecological niches that they fill.”

While exploring the Shark Alley and Blacktip Reef exhibits, Bradley explains that some are a little more shy than others, and part of the fun for visitors is trying to spot the perfectly camouflaged ambush predators hiding in plain sight.

“We have two wobbegong species in the exhibit, a tasselled and an ornate, the ornate is a little bit more secretive,” Bradley said. “Their faces are really frilly and kind of disguise themselves against the reef because they’re lie in wait predators, and they’re trying to just like look like a piece of rock or something or a piece of coral, and then when something swims over, they open their huge mouth, and just like engulf the fish. So those guys are really fascinating.”

501 E Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202

Fin-tastic treats to chomp on

Get your hands on Shark Fin Cupcakes and Shark Attack Cake Pops from The Cupcake Delivers. Each cake pop is covered in sparkling blue sanding sugar, red chocolate stripes, and topped with a sugar shark head or fin, “ready to strike.” Cupcakes come topped with shark gummies or a swirl of blue vanilla frosting and “a dramatic shark fin topper slicing through the surface like it owns the place.” The confectionery delivers across Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., and has been making Shark Week cupcakes since 2013.

“My inspiration was my son,” Jessica Baer, owner of The Cupcake Delivers, said. “When he was younger (he’s 18 now!) he loved Jaws the movie and all things shark.”

The fin-tastic treats are available to order until Labor Day.

Available for delivery in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Sea you at happy hour

Get some reef-reshment at the Water Bar located in Arlington’s National Landing. The restaurant and bar feature drinks with names such as Anchors Away, Tidal Wave, and Troubled Water. The drinks are not just here for Shark Week; they are a signature staple at the seafood restaurant and can be enjoyed long after festivities conclude.

1601 Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202

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Not-so-secret menu order

Not in the D.C. area? You can thank our Washington Examiner intern for one more shark hack. Starbucks has a limited-time “ocean drink” with toasted coconut syrup, acai, coconut milk, and blue spirulina powder. Asking for a vanilla cold foam on top will give the cool blue drink the look of crashing waves. A second option, the new Blue Coconut Lemonade Energy Refresher, allegedly tastes similar to shark gummies.

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