Shark Tooth Identification
Modern shark teeth and fossilized shark teeth are alike in shape, but they have some big differences:
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Age: Modern teeth are from sharks that are still swimming today. Fossil teeth are from sharks that lived a long, long time ago.
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Color: Modern teeth are usually white. Fossil teeth can be black, brown, or even red. That's because they soak up minerals from the ground, which changes their color.
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Hardness: Fossil teeth are harder than modern teeth. They're more like rocks because over time, minerals replace the original tooth material.
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Rarity: Sharks lose teeth all the time! But fossil teeth are special. It takes just the right conditions for a tooth to become a fossil, so they're harder to find.
Bull Shark Teeth
A bull shark tooth is typically about half an inch to over an inch long.
It has a broad, triangular shape and serrated edges, or tiny jagged ridges, unlike some other shark teeth.
These features can help you recognize a bull shark tooth.
Tiger Shark Teeth
A tiger shark tooth is usually 1 to 1.5 inches long.
It's unique because it's curved, like a hook, and has two sharp points on each side.
It also has serrated edges, or tiny saw-like ridges.
These traits can help you identify a tiger shark tooth.
Lemon Shark Teeth
A lemon shark tooth is about 0.5 to 0.75 inches long.
Unlike some shark teeth, it's slender and narrow, with a smooth edge, meaning no serrations.
It also has a slight curve, which helps distinguish it from other shark teeth.
Hemipristis (Snaggletooth) Shark Teeth
A hemipristis shark tooth is usually 1 to 1.5 inches long.
What makes it stand out is that it has large serrations, or jagged edges, which are bigger than what you'd see on many other shark teeth.
Like many sharks, it has two different kinds of teeth.
The upper jaw has sharp, serrated teeth, perfect for cutting.
The lower jaw has hooked teeth that are great for holding onto prey.
Sand Tiger Shark Teeth
A sand tiger shark tooth is about 1 inch long.
It's unique because it's long and slender, almost like a needle, and it curves gently.
It doesn't have serrations, or saw-like edges.
These features help you identify a sand tiger shark tooth.
Hammerhead Shark Teeth
A hammerhead shark tooth is about 0.5 inches long, so it's pretty small.
It's flat and triangular with a notch on one side, almost like a tiny, sharp mountain.
It does have serrations, or small, saw-like edges.
These features make a hammerhead shark tooth distinct.
Great White Shark Teeth
A great white shark tooth is large, about 1.5 to 2 inches long.
It's triangular and sharp with serrations, or tiny saw-like edges.
It's also thicker than other shark teeth.
These characteristics make a great white shark tooth easy to recognize.
Mako Shark Teeth
A mako shark tooth is about 1 to 2 inches long.
It's unique because it's long, slim, and pointed like a dagger, and it doesn't have serrations, or saw-like edges.
These features help you identify a mako shark tooth.
Megalodon Shark Teeth
A megalodon shark tooth is huge, about 4 to 7 inches long.
It's triangular with serrations, or tiny saw-like edges.
A unique feature of the megalodon tooth is its bourlette, which is a flat, smooth area near the base of the tooth.
This makes the megalodon tooth very distinctive.
Otodus Obliquus Shark Teeth
The Otodus obliquus shark tooth is quite large and can reach up to 4.1 inches in height.
The tooth is triangular with smooth cutting edges, and it's easy to spot the visible cusps on the roots.
Unlike many other sharks, some Otodus teeth show signs of developing serrations.
Angustidens Shark Teeth
An Angustidens shark tooth is interesting.
It's triangular, just like a megalodon tooth, but with small side bumps or 'cusps'.
These cusps and the main part of the tooth have many sharp, clear-cut ridges, or 'serrations'.
These features are similar to a megalodon tooth, but the Angustidens tooth is generally smaller.
Still, it can be quite large, with some reaching up to about 4 inches long diagonally.
So, when you see an Angustidens tooth, think of it as a smaller cousin to the megalodon tooth, but with its own unique features.
Cow Shark Teeth
Cow shark teeth fossils are unique and easy to tell apart from other shark teeth.
They have a special rectangular shape with a row of points that get smaller towards one end, giving them a "saw blade" look.
The bottom jaw of a cow shark even has one tooth in the middle that is a smaller rectangle with points in a fan shape.
Cow shark teeth fossils are usually between 0.42 and 1.09 inches in size.
Benedeni Shark Teeth
The Benedeni shark tooth, also known as a Parotodus benedeni tooth, is not just unique, but it's also quite rare.
It has a thick, curved crown and unusually large "U" shaped root lobes.
You won't see smaller points, or "cusplets," on the sides of this tooth, though some older Benedeni teeth may show tiny cusplets.
There's also a thick band near the root. This shark tooth is quite big, measuring over 3 inches.
Unlike many other shark teeth, it doesn't have the jagged edges, or "serrations."
All these features make the Benedeni shark tooth special, but what makes it truly stand out is its rarity.
It's not often that you come across a Benedeni tooth, which makes it an exciting find for anyone interested in sharks.
When it comes to fossilized shark teeth, they often provide the only fossil record of sharks, as the rest of a shark's body doesn't typically fossilize due to its cartilaginous structure.
The most ancient types of shark-like fish date back to 450 million years ago, during the Late Ordovician period, and are mostly known by their fossilized teeth and dermal denticles.
The most commonly found fossil shark teeth, however, are from the Cenozoic era, which covers the last 66 million years.
Fossilized teeth can sometimes be difficult to identify due to evolutionary transitions, where one species evolves into another and the teeth exhibit characteristics of both species.
An example of this is the evolution of the extinct giant mako, Isurus hastalis, into the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias.
Teeth believed to represent this transition have the wider, flatter crowns of the extinct giant mako, but also exhibit partial, fading serrations, a feature found in great whites but not in extinct giant makos.
Evolutionary Timeline of Megalodon
| Species | Approximate Time Range (Million Years Ago) |
|---|---|
| Otodus obliquus | 60 - 13 |
| Otodus aksuaticus | Not Precisely Known |
| Carcharocles auriculatus | Not Precisely Known |
| Carcharocles angustidens | Not Precisely Known |
| Carcharocles chubutensis | Not Precisely Known |
| Carcharocles megalodon (Megalodon) | 23 - 3.6 |
The evolution of the Megalodon shark, starting from Otodus obliquus, is a topic that is still under active research and discussion among scientists.
The exact times when one type of shark changed into another aren't known for sure.
Different scientists might think a little differently about how these sharks are related to each other based on the fossils they've studied.
Are you a scientist? Shark lover? 🤓 Go here for a very thorough non-visual Fossil Shark Teeth ID Guide.
***Please be aware that we do not deal in modern shark teeth. This is because the procurement of many modern shark teeth often involves practices that can harm living sharks and disrupt delicate marine ecosystems. We strongly believe in protecting our oceans and their inhabitants, and we stand firmly against any practices that harm these incredible creatures or their habitats.
Our mission is to share the fascinating history of these ancient creatures with you, all while promoting responsible and ethical fossil collection. If you do collect modern shark teeth, get shark teeth from places where people fish for food. These sharks aren't caught for their teeth or fins – that's really bad, and we don't want any part of it.
Ethical importers bring the teeth into the country making sure to follow all the rules. Special permits from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), make sure that they're bringing in the teeth in the right way. Only deal with types of sharks that aren't protected, so we're not hurting any endangered species.
There's also an important group called CITES, which stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. They make rules about which animals can be traded around the world.
But some places don't always follow CITES' rules. Some people catch protected sharks, like Great Whites, just to make money. They might be allowed to sell the teeth in their country, but it's usually against the law to bring them into other countries like the US, UK, and Australia.
So if you buy those teeth, you might be breaking a pretty big law without even knowing it. We don't want that to happen, so we make sure all our teeth are completely legal and are fossilized. That way, you can enjoy your shark teeth without worrying about doing anything wrong.