Megaladon Tooth Fake Or Real?

[Masakari]

Hello all,

Neither I nor my wife has much experience with fossils, but my wife loves sharks and ancient things so I bought her a Megalodon tooth for her birthday. I actually bought it from a pretty reputable store--Evolution in NYC (at least I think it's reputable--it's certainly pretty well-known). It was expensive but worth it. She loves it but wants to make sure there's no chance that it's a fake. See pictures below. I did research online and it certainly doesn't look like typical fake teeth, but she's wondering if there's a way to be sure. The reason she's just a bit concerned is that she also has another tooth that she found herself on a beach which is thought to be a (small) megalodon tooth (it's the second-to-largest tooth in the pictures, the black one), and the surface of that tooth "feels" very different from the one I bought. That black tooth feels totally hard, like a rock, while the brown-ish colored part on the tooth I bought feels kind of yielding, like you could scrape it off with a hard/sharp object if you tried hard. She scratched the back of it a little tiny bit with her fingernail (very little, like a square millimeter) and it seemed like a little bit of the brown layer came off and what's underneath looks to be a pale, grayish color. Any reason this could suggest the tooth isn't real? Or is this just very well-preserved tooth enamel? I really have no idea.

Also I read on some forums that you can soak a fossil in acetone and a real fossil will be undamaged, but the acetone will reveal any "repairs" done to the fossil. Is that true? Any other way we could be sure?

Here's a bunch of pictures of it, some of them next to some other teeth my wife has (all the rest she found walking around beaches and rivers). We wanted to post a bunch of pictures in different magnifications and light sources in case that's helpful. Thanks for your help in advance!

- Mike

[indyfossils]

It looks real to me I'm not an expert but usually fake teeth are cast in one color or the colors are extreme like bright reds blues or browns . As for the softness of the fossil ive noticed especially in carolina teeth they tend to have a tackier feel to them which could feel "fake".

[RickNC]

Or to be positive it is real you could purchase one from Bill at Megateeth. He has a huge selection and all are found by him. Going that route you would know who found it and where with no worries about its authenticity.

[mikeymig]

It looks real to me but, I see some restoration to the center of the root (grey color).

Mikey

[fossilselachian]

Or to be positive it is real you could purchase one from Bill at Megateeth. He has a huge selection and all are found by him. Going that route you would know who found it and where with no worries about its authenticity.

Excellent suggestion. I've seen some of the shark teeth in Evolution and,as you stated, they are expensive.

[mikeymig]

Now that I look at this tooth on my iPhone I think that the whole center of the tooth has been restored. Does anyone else see it?

Mikey

[fossilselachian]

I agree.

The area of the tooth directly below the base of the bourlette appears questionable. This area is about one- third the width of the tooth and extends (tapering) to nearly the apex of the crown. Also, the color of this area appears in contrast to the rest of the crown.

Hopefully such is not the case since,as mentioned previously in this thread, I'm sure this was an expensive meg.

PS. In particular I am referencing the first picture

Edited July 17, 2013 by fossilselachian

[Auspex]

It is risky to assess possible restorations to a fossil from photos on a monitor screen, but I agree that some of the area I've circled shows texture and/or color variance that would benefit from in-hand examination under a loupe.

What stands out most to me is the center area of the root, to where the enamel of the crown begins.

[Masakari]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Is there any simple-ish test we could perform to see if it's been restored, short of giving it to an expert for examination (we don't know any fossil experts)? Would the acetone idea I mentioned in the original post work?

By the way, I checked the center area you guys were highlighting, and pretty sure that's not repaired; the way the light bounces off it in the pictures I posted makes it stand out more than it does looking at it in person, and running my hand over it, that area is completely seamless with the area around it; it's not raised or anything, just a discoloration.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Masakari

[Gizmo]

I'm thinking you've really overpaid for a restored tooth. The center of the root looks very suspicious, a hot needle will expose most repairs . I'd return it tomorrow and get one from Bill at http://megateeth.com/index.php

An example of a well restored tooth -

[Masakari]

So is hot needle the typical test people use? Do people use this acetone test also? I don't have the option to return the tooth for cash--I can exchange it for another tooth or item, but my wife and I both like it and don't want to get rid of it unless we can tell that it is (or is very likely) repaired.

[RickNC]

So is hot needle the typical test people use? Do people use this acetone test also? I don't have the option to return the tooth for cash--I can exchange it for another tooth or item, but my wife and I both like it and don't want to get rid of it unless we can tell that it is (or is very likely) repaired.

I would return it and buy from megateeth and get a tooth you can be assured is legit. It will probably be cheaper too.

[steelhead9]

It has restoration in the middle of root, bourlette, and blade. Most likely the area your wife scratched was an area of restoration and she scratched off the paint to reveal the grey putty underneath. Even if not restored, this should not have been an expensive tooth due to the condition of the real part of the blade. It is a real tooth, but the restoration should have been disclosed to you. I would return it as you can do much better for your money. There are many reputable shark tooth websites as suggested in this thread.

[Bonodog12]

I agree with steelhead it looks real but has been restored

[John K]

just curious here: would hitting it with an infrared light be of any help disclosing repairs?

[Auspex]

just curious here: would hitting it with an infrared light be of any help disclosing repairs?

Sometimes UV will disclose differing materials where visible light will not; I've never heard of IR being effective that way.

[John K]

Sometimes UV will disclose differing materials where visible light will not; I've never heard of IR being effective that way.

DOH! UV is what I meant....!

[rgarsa]

Sorry 10 cm... I can't upload images.. Don;t understand this forum rules.... Made the needle proof, it was broken, made the fire proof , no odor..another suggestion

[Megatooth Collector]

The Meg looks like it has had a lot of restoration/repair to it. The center display side enamel looks a little suspicious, as well as the display side, center root and bourlette. There are some unnatural looking vertical striations on the middle part of the bourlette. So, yes technically real tooth but has likely had some work done to it.

[MarqusandDad]

Items in the store you are referencing could have also applied a heavy amount of a clear coat of some sort to protect the tooth(in their opinion) and make it look more presentable to the eye of the general public. All repairs and coating done to the item should (SHOULD) be disclosed, if this is not done it is misleading the customer as to what they are selling. Go into the store grab another tooth that looks like the one you purchased and ask what has been done to it. If the answer is that the tooth is stabilized repaired etc ask why it is not disclosed and then ask for a refund based on their non disclosure. If you damage the tooth in any way they are off the hook so please try this first before damaging the item. A quality store should have no problem doing this for you as they would not want the negative publicity on the net etc....