0.83" Fossil Tiger Shark Tooth

About Galeocerdo (Genus) Sharks

Galeocerdo, which means "fox shark," is the genus of all tiger sharks and tiger-like sharks, both living and extinct. Tiger sharks are a genus of requiem sharks (migratory, warm sea, live-bearing sharks) that have hunted the temperate and tropical seas since the Eocene epoch. These fearsome predators are nomadic and often live solitary lives, joining other sharks only for procreation. Tiger sharks are sometimes referred to as "garbage sharks": this refers to their disposition towards eating anything in their path.

The earliest Galeocerdo species in the fossil record is G. latidens from the Eocene. The more common fossils that come out of the American southeast are of G. aduncus, from the Oligocene, and G. cuvier, which originated in the Pliocene and persists today as the only living species of tiger shark.

The best way to identify Galeocerdo teeth by species is to look at the size of the tooth and the complexity of the serrations. Generally, larger teeth with more complex serrations point to a shark from a time closer to the present. For example, a tooth from G. cuvier is much bigger and more serrated than a tooth from G. aduncus or G. latidens.