Bizarre Edestus Shark Tooth/Jaw - Carboniferous

This is a very unusual and hard to acquire offering of a fossil tooth and jaw section from the Carboniferous aged shark Edestus heinrichi. These rare teeth are recovered deep underground in the coal mines of Illinois.

Edestus was a was a very unusual shark that is only known from it's teeth and jaw sections. It's estimated they could reach 20 feet in length, about the same size as a modern great white. Like it's other relatives like Helicoprion it did not shed it's teeth as they became worn. This caused the jaws to become elongated and resemble a monstrous pair of shears. It's unclear how these sharks would have caught and ate their prey with this jaw configuration.