How to Identify Fossil Sharks Teeth

When you are walking down the beach you may find a fossilized sharks tooth. But if you are like me you wonder what kind of shark the tooth belonged to. Fossilized shark teeth usually have a black root with a grayish crown. Here is a list of common fossil sharks teeth found in the United States.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
   Megalodon Tooth

   This is a Megalodon tooth. Look for a tooth that is 3 1/2 to over 5 inches tall. They are triangular, thick and finely serrated. If you find one of these you are very lucky! This shark lived 25 to 1.6 million years ago, during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. He was 50 to 100 feet long. A single tooth can sell for $20,000.00.

2. 
   Sand Tiger Shark Tooth

   This is a Sand Tiger Shark tooth. Look for a fossilized shark tooth that is long and pointy with long and curved roots. Next to the root there are 2 to 4 cusplits which could be broken off. This Sand Tiger Shark lived in the Miocene Epoch which is 65 million years ago to 2.6 million years ago.

3. 
   White Shark Tooth

   This is a White Shark tooth. Look for the tooth to be triangular, flattened, and coarsely serrated which are irregular in size and spacing. This shark's tooth can be from the Eocene Epoch, about 50 million years ago.

4. 
   Hemipristis serra Tooth

   This is a Hemipristis serra or Snaggletooth Shark tooth. Look for coarse serrations on both sides of the tooth. The tooth will curve away from the center. This shark lived in the Miocene to the Pliocene Period, 23.3 to 5.3 million years ago.

5. 
   Tiger Shark Teeth

   These are Tiger Shark teeth. Look for one large crown on the anterior side, and many small serrations on the posterior side. This Tiger shark lived in the Miocene, up to 15 Million years ago.

6. 
   Dusky Shark Teeth

   These are Dusky Shark teeth. Look for a flattened tooth with a broad serrated shoulder. The serrations decrease in size toward the tip of the tooth. The Dusky shark was around in the Pliocene, 2 to 6 million years ago.

7. 
   Lemon Shark Tooth

   This is a Lemon Shark tooth. Look for a narrow, flattened, unserrated blade. It has a squared off root. This fossilized tooth could be 3 to 7 million years old.

8. 
   Bull Shark Teeth

   These are Bull Shark teeth. Look for a tooth with a squared off root. The tooth has serrations which decrease in size toward the tip of the blade. This shark lived in the late Miocene, approximately 5 million years ago.

9. 
   Extinct Mako Shark Tooth

   This is a Extinct Mako Shark tooth. Look for the crown to be smooth and broad. The root is flat. These teeth are larger. He lived in the Early Pliocene/Late Miocene, which is approximately 4 to 6 million years ago.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also make these fossils into a shark tooth necklace or various shark tooth jewelry.

Resources

• How to Identify Emperor Penguins
• How to Identify a Mountain Zebra

[FrazzledNanny]

on 3/11/2009 Great pictures and detailed article. Thanks for the information. 5*

[kaytay]

on 3/9/2009 Thanks for sharing. 5*

[not-so-newbie]

on 2/10/2009 5 STARS!

[not-so-newbie]

on 2/10/2009 this is fabulous! Great info for an avid shark's teeth Collector! My dad and I have looked for them all of my life. This article is so wonderfully informative. Can't wait to show Dad!