Welcome to Dr. Von Zuko's Fossil Layer.  

Join us as we peer through the misty veil of time and examine millions of years of life and evolution on the planet earth.  


Sharks & Marine |  Ice Age Mammals |  Invertebrate Creatures

The Collection:
Crystal Spheres
Asian Treasures
The Fossil Layer


Ancient Sharks & Other Prehistoric Marine Animals:

 Fossil Shark Teeth

                             Carcharodon Megalodon 

Carcharodon Megalodon reigned supreme as the largest and deadliest predator in the ancient Miocene ocean.  The powerful, monstrous jaws of the Megalodon were filled with multiple rows of thick rooted and incredibly strong, razor sharp teeth, that allowed it to feed on the largest whales and even other prehistoric sharks.

An early ancestor of the "Great White Shark" the Carcharodon  Megalodon  was a monster compared to any modern shark, and grew to terrifyingly huge sizes of up to 60 feet in length or more. (to visualize the awesome size, imagine a semi-truck with teeth).   This exceptional four inch fossil tooth, likely from a 35 to 40 foot Meg,  was recovered by divers working 20 foot deep Miocene deposits in a coastal river in South Carolina.   The Miocene Period occurred 7 to 22 million years ago.

   
This rare "Connoisseur-Grade" Carcharodon Megalodon tooth measures 2 1/8" and is from a relatively small 20 or 25 foot Megalodon shark. 

The tooth is in near perfect condition and has very sharp serrations, a complete root, full enamel and bourlette (the chevron above the enamel).  

Fossil teeth in this astonishing condition are quite rare and this one is a real treasure, especially considering it is around 10 million years old.  This tooth lay undisturbed for several million years in the sediments of the Manatee River, in South Florida. 

The Manatee is a very tannic river with poor  visibility, the diver who found this tooth did it mostly by feel, groping the bottom while trying to stay clear of the numerous alligators living in the river.

Another colorful and flawless fossil shark tooth from a 5 or 6 foot, extinct
Lamna otherwise known as a  Mackerel shark.  
 Carcharocles Angustidens 

The Carcharocles Angustidens shark is a direct ancestor of the great Carcharodon Megalodon shark.  It lived in the oceans of the Middle Oligocene period, 30 million years ago.

This very well preserved fossil tooth is 30 million years old and is in excellent condition.  It is 1and 11/16 inches long, has full serrated edges and a sharp point.  The enamel is smooth and clean, both front and reverse.  Both cusplets (the two projections at either side of the main tooth) are intact, showing only slight wear, and the brown root is well shaped and intact. Angustidens did not get as large as the Megalodon, but finding it's teeth (30 million years later) in this condition, makes the tooth considerably more rare than those of the Megalodon shark.

This attractive fossil tooth was recovered from the Oligocene deposits of the (inland) Chandler Bridge Formation, Summerville, South Carolina. 

To learn more about ancient sharks and shark teeth, Dr. Von Zuko recommends these books:
(from Amazon.com)

Isurus Hastalis

The Isurus Hastalis is an extinct Mako species, that was abundant in the seas during the Miocene and Pliocene periods. (22-3 million years ago)  This shark possessed a broad bladed upper tooth very similar to the Great White Shark but without the coarse serrations on the edges. 

Today a Mako shark can easily grow to a length of 12.5 feet and weigh 1250 pounds. judging from the size of their fossil teeth, the extinct Isurus Hastalis were very likely even larger.  Only the very largest Mako sharks ever get  teeth this large!  

This large well preserved 2-3/8" Isurus Hastalis shark tooth is broad with a very sharp edge, and a killer point.  This pearly and  lustrous tooth has no significant nicks, with nearly imperceptible traces of enamel peel.  The blue root is complete and well shaped.  This fine inland fossil specimen was most likely found somewhere around the lower Potomac River.
.

Carcharias 



 Carcharias, better known as  the Sand Tiger Shark, first appeared on the planet during the Miocene period. 

The ancient shark, much like today's various species of Sand Tiger, was primarily a bottom feeding shark that feed on a wide assortment of fish, squid and shrimp.  This shark is a fairly large predator and can grow to about 12 feet. The Sand Tiger's teeth are long, slender, and sharp, but varies slightly between species (it is highly likely that these 3 teeth are not all from the same subspecies). 

These near perfect, fossilized Sand Tiger shark teeth were found in Miocene deposits and exhibit a range of nice colors.
Carcharocles Angustidens

Small but perfect 30 million year old Carcharocles Angustidens fossil tooth.  
Very colorful, in excellent condition and still quite sharp after millions of years.
Shark teeth from the ancient Miocene, Pliocene, and Middle Oligocene Oceans.

All site content, except where noted or otherwise credited, is the intellectual and physical property of e'Media Inc. and Dr. Von Zuko.  Content and or images on this website may not be copied, republished, or redistributed in any format or media without the express written permission of the publisher.   all rights reserved Copyright © 2005 e'Media Inc.