Modern Shark Tooth?

[aussiefossils]

Please help me identify what shark and of modern please

[Sélacien34]

It's a fossil tooth of the genus Carcharhinus, the precise specie is very difficult to determinate. Where did you find it ?

Edited May 20, 2014 by Sélacien34

[aussiefossils]

Southeast Queensland, Australia ( bay area )

[Sélacien34]

I have only found Bluff Downs in the Queensland which is a site of Pliocene age in Australia, but with a fluviatile and terrestrial fauna and also Chinchila rifle range. That's strange, i haven't found anything about Mio/Pliocene marine faunas. Did you find something yourself? I think that you may contact local specialists or museums because it's a tooth from Carcharhinus and i think that your teeth came from a Neogene or later fauna.

You can see here the repertoried sites from Queensland :

http://books.google.fr/books?id=R0iiegPuibIC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=Queensland+marine+fossil+Australia&source=bl&ots=zLrr0Imt5y&sig=fhFY2qOEeJdn0zQBvWiI_LAmLFQ&hl=fr&sa=X&ei=13t8U6joIo-r0gXopYDgAw&ved=0CE0Q6AEwAzgU#v=onepage&q=Queensland%20marine%20fossil%20Australia&f=false

[aussiefossils]

I have not found anything on fossil sites like the place I go to everyday, I find all my fossils here and there is nothing on the net saying this is or has been known for a fossil site.

Not sure why , that's why Iove this fossil site as Australia sadly doesn't have these resources to the public, my only option is to go to museums for ID and will probably keep so I think ill just stick to this site for now.

Cheers

[Sélacien34]

So it would be an unregistered fossil site, interesting !

[aussiefossils]

Well now you say that I'm guessing so

[Paleoc]

Is that a beach find? Looks a modern lower Bull Shark from a young shark.

[aussiefossils]

Yes beach find could you please tag me of a modern bullshark tooth and a fossil tooth?

[Paleoc]

Modern teeth are white, fossil teeth rarely are as they are colored by minerals in the soil. Fossil teeth found washed up on a beach (if they have spent much time in the water) are usually black or dark grey.

Bull Sharks - Modern

Fossil (land finds - quarry). Note the stoney texture of the roots.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Paleoc

[Sélacien34]

During the fossilisation, there's a process of epigenization in which the minerals that make up the tooth are replaced by those of the surrounding sediments. The teeth can be white or clear color in a silica deposit or chalk. I think your tooth is relatively recent, but already fossilized after the color of the root and crown. Here some clear color and yellow fossil teeth from Bull shark :