Can anybody ID this shark's tooth? I'm curious if it's a (small) Megalodon tooth or not. If not, do you know which species it might be?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Any paleontologists out there?
- Thread starter William_Montgomery
- Start date
Not my specialism at all, but shark teeth are generally more triangular....note generally.
If no one else chips in with help, then there are dedicated people who are happy to discuss fossils with you though. The National History Museum for instance or
www.discussfossils.com
If no one else chips in with help, then there are dedicated people who are happy to discuss fossils with you though. The National History Museum for instance or
Discuss Fossils
www.discussfossils.com
Natural history museum have people you can ask for identification from. We had a customer in Texas complaining about beetles the size of your hand in our product. An infestation of them. We contacted the natural history museum and an expert got back in touch with us to give us the ID and details including the fact it's common to Mexico, central America and some parts of USA in the South. Turns out they were short of our product and shipped some up from their Mexican manufacturing plant with the beetles.
Anyway, they were very quick to reply and very keen too. Very helpful and free. It's probably classed as outreach and they possibly record it for performance reasons. Academia does seem to be about contact, dealing with business and wider community.
I must admit to thinking shark's teeth were triangular not pointed like that. It might be some marine reptile, dinosaur or whale tooth. However the second picture showing the part above the tooth does make me think it looks like part of the top of a shark's tooth.
Heck don't listen to me, I'm sitting on the fence as I don't know. BM is the best place I contact. Alternatively there are paleontology museums around the country, one of them might have a knowledgeable curator
Anyway, they were very quick to reply and very keen too. Very helpful and free. It's probably classed as outreach and they possibly record it for performance reasons. Academia does seem to be about contact, dealing with business and wider community.
I must admit to thinking shark's teeth were triangular not pointed like that. It might be some marine reptile, dinosaur or whale tooth. However the second picture showing the part above the tooth does make me think it looks like part of the top of a shark's tooth.
Heck don't listen to me, I'm sitting on the fence as I don't know. BM is the best place I contact. Alternatively there are paleontology museums around the country, one of them might have a knowledgeable curator
Shark's teeth
This website shows there are three types of shark's teeth, traditional triangular cutting teeth, short crushing teeth and pointed gripping teeth. Yours looks like the last type
Take a look at the photo showing three cutting, upper teeth from the Hemipristus species and the lower teeth. The middle lower one looks very much like yours. I makes sense because shark's don't all hunt and feed on the same things so not all will need teeth for the same function.
It seems I was half right in that the upper part does look like shark's teeth because it was. I just didn't know about the variations in the bits of the teeth sticking out of the shark's mouth.
Hope this helps.
This website shows there are three types of shark's teeth, traditional triangular cutting teeth, short crushing teeth and pointed gripping teeth. Yours looks like the last type
Take a look at the photo showing three cutting, upper teeth from the Hemipristus species and the lower teeth. The middle lower one looks very much like yours. I makes sense because shark's don't all hunt and feed on the same things so not all will need teeth for the same function.
It seems I was half right in that the upper part does look like shark's teeth because it was. I just didn't know about the variations in the bits of the teeth sticking out of the shark's mouth.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the link, Toddy.Not my specialism at all, but shark teeth are generally more triangular....note generally.
If no one else chips in with help, then there are dedicated people who are happy to discuss fossils with you though. The National History Museum for instance or
Discuss Fossils
Yeah, I think you're right. It's not so apparent from the pictures, but it curves forwards like the gripping tooth does.
It does help, thanks.
I just stumbled across it. It was in a flower bed a couple of miles inland, on top of a hill. God knows what it was doing there.
Turns out, it's most likely from Otodus obliquus, an extict shark similar to a Mako shark, from somewhere between 48 - 59 million years ago. Incredible that something from that time is still recognisable. Blows the mind, really.
Appreciate your help with that. Thanks.
Appreciate your help with that. Thanks.
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