Fossil Shark Teeth For Sale

Who doesn’t love sharks? These massive fish have chomped their way through oceanic creatures since they first swam onto the scene between 450 and 380 million years ago. Sharks can attribute a lot of their success to teeth that are extremely efficient and rapidly evolved to be bigger and better. These teeth can come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of serration and curvature. Fossil shark teeth are interesting because even teeth from extant species exist in the fossil record, showing how ancient some sharks really are! These teeth also illustrate how some species’ teeth became specialized over time. Using these differences, we can track shark lineages by changes in tooth shape and structure. Fossil shark teeth are the most popular fossil we sell since they are very collectable and make great gifts!

About Fossil Shark Teeth

2578 Items ($2 to $2,250)

/ Inch Mako Shark Tooth - Million Years Old #848

1 1/2 Inch Mako Shark Tooth - 15 Million Years Old

Serrated, ” Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina #306351

Serrated, 5.40” Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina

$2,250

Huge, Serrated Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #298787

Huge, 6.36" Serrated Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$1,495

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Indonesia #279206

Serrated, 5.60" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Indonesia

$1,250

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina #293090

Serrated, 5.04" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina

$995

Rare Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Bakersfield, CA #243183

Rare 3.75" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Bakersfield, CA

$995

Huge, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #261019

Huge, 6.06" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$995

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina #293092

Serrated, 5.30" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Aurora, North Carolina

$895

Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Huge NC Meg #298801

5.66" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Huge NC Meg

$425

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #311101

Serrated, 5.44" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$375

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310396

Serrated, 4.94" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$375

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #309511

Serrated, 4.51" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$245

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #311105

Serrated, 4.75" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$225

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #311091

Serrated, 4.73" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$225

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #308570

Serrated, 4.53" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$195

Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310029

4.27" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$185

Colorful, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310417

Colorful, 3.79" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$185

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #308572

Serrated, 4.65" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$175

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310405

Serrated, 4.22" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$175

Colorful, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310416

Colorful, 3.83" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$175

Serrated, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #286465

Serrated, 4.21" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$165

Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #295895

4.10" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$145

Partial Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #268626

5.55" Partial Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$79

Partial, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Serrated Edge #296151

4.40" Partial, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - Serrated Edge

$75

Serrated, Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310499

Serrated, 2.12" Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$49

Serrated, Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310500

Serrated, 2.15" Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$49

Serrated, Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #310503

Serrated, 1.98" Juvenile Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$49

Partial, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #307672

4.91" Partial, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$49

Bargain, Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina #295302

Bargain, 3.32" Fossil Megalodon Tooth - North Carolina

$49

Partial Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina #300122

5.02" Partial Fossil Megalodon Tooth - South Carolina

$49

About Fossil Shark Teeth

Sharks shed their teeth frequently throughout throughout their lives as they grew or the teeth became worn. Some species may have shed an average of 35,000 teeth in their lifetimes! Every tooth that is shed has the potential to be buried in sediment on the ocean floor. If the coverage is fast enough it will smother the tooth and create an anaerobic environment safe from decay and scavengers. True fossilization can take thousands upon thousands of years to occur, but most shark teeth undergo a process called permineralization, which is a faster variant fossilization process. Essentially, water containing silica, calcite, or other minerals seeps into the tooth’s pores and replaces the organic material in the tooth. Generally mineral replacement, or the replacement of organic material with inorganic material, is a style of preservation that is consistent with fossilization or petrification.

Why Are Just Teeth Preserved And Not Bones?

The simple answer to this question is that sharks are cartilaginous fishes. This means that most of, but not all of, their skeletal structure is composed of pliable cartilage. Unlike bone, cartilage does not preserve (fossilize) well and therefore we rarely find shark fossils in any capacity, whether full or partial. A large amount of the information we have about early sharks comes from teeth, skin impressions, and scales collected from deposits and formations of which the age is already known. Even then, the best that can be done is conjecture based on available evidence.

Why Are Many Fossil Shark Teeth Black?

Because shark teeth undergo permineralization, they are susceptible to being colored by whatever minerals leach into them from their surroundings. Therefore, surrounding minerals are directly responsible for the coloring of the tooth. Black teeth, like many of the megalodon teeth that come out of the Hawthorn Formation in South Carolina, are prime examples of coloring by permineralization. Black isn’t the only color fossil shark teeth occur in: other fossil teeth can be tan, grey, or an orangey-reddish color. The reddish color is related to iron content within the blade and root that oxidizes as the tooth sits. This is the same process that happens when metal rusts or during the formation of some minerals, like hematite and magnetite. Sometimes, but not always, darker colors may be indicative of older fossils as the minerals had more time to leach into the pores of the tooth.

Sometimes the root of the tooth may be a different color than the blade of the tooth. This is because the root is composed of a different material than the blade, and when the minerals interact with these different compositions, the reaction is different. Because of this, a good amount of the teeth from Aurora, North Carolina have a deep brown root and a creamy tan blade. Additionally, even different layers at the same location can produce teeth with different coloring depending on the sediment composition at the time of stratification. A good example of this phenomena takes place in Aurora, where some teeth will have a greenish or yellow tint to them, unlike the majority of the fossils that sport beige coloring.

Another factor in fossil tooth color is staining by external forces while the tooth sits underground in the limestone. The major culprits are groundwater seepage and plant and animal interference. Additional minerals that cause staining or speckling can be introduced to the fossil at any point between burial and exhumation. These factors can make a tooth look unique despite being from one location known for its specific color.

Where To Find Fossil Shark Teeth?

This question has a lot of additional factors that go into it. Certain teeth are limited to select locations and differing levels of difficulty of extraction. Generally, teeth are going to be found close to water, scattered on beaches, compacted in sediment, or in some cases still underwater. Some teeth, like a majority of the megalodon teeth from North and South Carolina, are buried in sediment in rivers or in shallow shelves of the Atlantic and can’t be collected without diving equipment.

A fair amount of teeth are found washed up on beaches, deposited on river banks, or on cliff sides near the water’s edge. Beachcombing in Florida, California, Maryland or the Carolinas in the United States are generally low-effort, decent-yield options for the casual collector or enthusiast. The same is true for other countries that border large bodies of water. Another good idea is to look for areas that are composed of sedimentary rock, especially areas that are known to have once been submerged in water.

How To Determine If A Shark Tooth Is Recent Or A Fossil?

Sharks drop their teeth at a near constant rate, and they have for hundreds of millions of years. This means that a lot of teeth are floating around out there, both recent teeth and fossil varieties. The easiest way to determine whether a tooth you found is from a recent shark or an ancient species is by its color. Generally speaking, newer teeth will still be white or slightly off-white. Fossil shark teeth are almost always a tan, brown, or black color due to mineral replacement. If the tooth doesn’t appear a glossy white, then you probably have a fossil.

Another good indicator is to identify the species. This can go a long way to determine the age of a shark tooth. The nice thing about sharks is that their teeth are usually different between species and as they progress through their respective lineages. Additionally, there are many helpful guides to assist in the identification process. Once the species, or at the very least, the genus, is ascertained, then you can determine whether or not the shark is extinct or still existing in this location. This process can be arduous and time consuming, but generally you can get close enough to tell you if you have a fossil or not. Tooth color and discovery location are typically the easiest and most reliable methods to determine age.

The location where the tooth was found is also a very important clue as to whether or not your tooth is a fossil. If it was extracted from an area relatively inland within sediment, it's probably a fossil. If the location is known to have a specific geologic age, that can provide reference for dating the teeth found there. Also, some areas are notorious for producing certain teeth from extinct species or species that haven’t lived in that area for a couple million years.

Parts Of A Shark Tooth

The two main components of a tooth are the root and the crown. The root holds the tooth in the shark’s mouth and is responsible for providing the tooth with nutrients to keep it intact until it is time to shed. New teeth also begin at the root level and when replacing a shed tooth, it will root before anything else.

The business end of the tooth is called the crown (or blade). This part of the tooth is responsible for cutting, slashing, grabbing and shredding prey to be eaten. Both the root and the crown may take a variety of shapes which are indicative of use or position in the mouth.

It’s a well established fact that sharks are feeding machines so their teeth often have adaptations that make killing and eating prey easier. These adaptations often take place in crown shape and level of serration. For example, a tiger shark’s teeth are rectangular with a hook-like recurve and large serrations. On the other hand, a white shark has triangular teeth that bear fine serrations. Additionally, sharks throughout geologic time had teeth that were adapted to their preferred prey. The Ptychodus sharks of the Western Interior Seaway utilized teeth shaped like mushroom caps to crush ammonite shells and make short work of other shelled organisms.

FOSSIL SHARK TEETH FOR SALE

About Fossil Shark Teeth

Why Are Just Teeth Preserved And Not Bones?

Why Are Many Fossil Shark Teeth Black?

Where To Find Fossil Shark Teeth?

How To Determine If A Shark Tooth Is Recent Or A Fossil?

Parts Of A Shark Tooth