New Members Luvthemtorts Posted December 30, 2008 New Members Share Posted December 30, 2008 After a vacation to Myrtle Beach SC this past Summer my 10 year old got tired of the treasures she found and put them away. While cleaning her room this past week she ran across them again and asked me if there was any way to find out what kind of shark they came from and how old they are. After much searching it appears this forum will be quite helpful in being able to give me some information to pass along to her. The photo shows each tooth with a quarter for scale. If possible please identify from top left to right and bottom left to right as well as any information of when these sharks might have lived. I truly appreciate any input that one might have to offer and thank you in advance for your time and effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Welcome to the forum. What I can ID is that the large tooth is a Great White (Carcharodon carcharias) Then 2 mystery teeth. The bottom row I believe is a Hammerhead (Sphyrna sp.) and possibly a Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) If the last one is finely serrated, that would confirm the ID. Is the middle tooth in the top row worn at all and does it have serrations? The shape doesn't strike me as anything I know so if not worn, maybe pathologic (deformed). The last tooth has me stumped. I have ideas, but the ages are millions of years apart from the others, which would be in the range of 1-4 million years old. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haizahnjager Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 After a vacation to Myrtle Beach SC this past Summer my 10 year old got tired of the treasures she found and put them away.While cleaning her room this past week she ran across them again and asked me if there was any way to find out what kind of shark they came from and how old they are. After much searching it appears this forum will be quite helpful in being able to give me some information to pass along to her. The photo shows each tooth with a quarter for scale. If possible please identify from top left to right and bottom left to right as well as any information of when these sharks might have lived. I truly appreciate any input that one might have to offer and thank you in advance for your time and effort! First of all, let me welcome you to The Fossil Forum! The first tooth is a Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) tooth from the lower jaw, the second tooth I would say is a Bull Shark (Carcharinus leucas) or Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), the third tooth appears to be a gray shark (Abdounia sp.) from an earlier time period (Eocene) which is weird. The second row first tooth is an indescriminate gray shark tooth (Carcharhinus sp.) which is later than the Eocene epoch. The final tooth is either one of the sharks described for the second tooth. I respectfully disagree with NS on the second to the last tooth being a Hammerhead shark though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 First of all, let me welcome you to The Fossil Forum! The first tooth is a Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) tooth from the lower jaw, the second tooth I would say is a Bull Shark (Carcharinus leucas) or Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), the third tooth appears to be a gray shark (Abdounia sp.) from an earlier time period (Eocene) which is weird. The second row first tooth is an indescriminate gray shark tooth (Carcharhinus sp.) which is later than the Eocene epoch. The final tooth is either one of the sharks described for the second tooth.I respectfully disagree with NS on the second to the last tooth being a Hammerhead shark though. welcome to the forum, the great white is awsome, i would also say that the second tooth is a bull shark, the third tooth im not sure, i have never seen a gray shark from the Eocene so it could be. I would also say that the first tooth on the second row is a gray shark tooth, the last tooth is interesting. Does it have serrations on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Couldn't the middle tooth in the top row be a small, well-worn Meg? I think I see what's left of the serrations... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Couldn't the middle tooth in the top row be a small, well-worn Meg? I think I see what's left of the serrations... no it has serrations, thats why its a bull or dusky, there is some tip damage, and they do look like megs, to bad they aren't, think of how many megs i would have then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I'm thinking that the 3rd tooth is too large for Abdounia, plus it's the only one that doesn't fit with the others age-wise. The second still doesn't look much like a Carcharhinus to me. It just seems too robust and the root isn't right, but that could just be the pic. Whatever it is, it looks to have considerable water wear. The small one on the bottom could very well be a Carcharhinus, as could the last one: however, the last one does bear a striking resemblance to my Great Hammerhead. Could you post individual pics with more zoom please. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I think that the third tooth is Serratolamna serrata, a mackerel shark from the Cretaceous. I've found several of them there as well along with Squalicorax kaupi and Squalicorax pristodontus. The fossil sharks teeth from Myrtle Beach are dredged from off shore to replenish the sand on the beach, and come from many different ages and formations. You can find anything from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene, and perhaps the Pleistocene as well. Serratolamna serrata is characterized by having an unserrated and fairly robust smooth crown with complete cutting edges, with 2-3 large triangular cusps on the distal lobe of the root, while the other lobe has one large triangular cusp. I've found this same species in Maryland Cretaceous deposits up to about 1" long, but most average 1/2" to 3/4" in vertical height. Check out www.elasmo.com, click on Faunas, Black Creek, then scroll down and click on S. serrata for pics and info on it. I also think that the last tooth is Carcharinus plumbeus (sandbar shark). The tip of the crown gives it away. You can see the full dentition and clear pics on elasmo's dentition of this shark for comparison. I assume, but can't tell, that the tooth is thinner and more fragile than the other Carcharinus tooth? If so, then it's C. plumbeus. I've found many of them at Myrtle Beach. Nice finds, especially the great white! Most of the ones that I find there have the root missing, but once in awhile you find a nice one! Wecome to the forum! Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I also think that the last tooth is Carcharinus plumbeus (sandbar shark). The tip of the crown gives it away. You can see the full dentition and clear pics on elasmo's dentition of this shark for comparison. I assume, but can't tell, that the tooth is thinner and more fragile than the other Carcharinus tooth? If so, then it's C. plumbeus. I've found many of them at Myrtle Beach. Also, I'd like to add that the C. plumbeus blade is finely serrated (a more clear photo may show this). The entire tooth when complete is thin and fragile, much different than a hammerhead which is a much more robust tooth. EDIT: Then again, the great hammerhead tooth is finely serrated too so perhaps a better photo would be in order. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Isn't shark tooth ID fun There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Isn't shark tooth ID fun LOL, yep. It's difficult enough when you have the tooth in hand much less a photograph! Sand tiger teeth that I find drive me nuts, because I just have to know. And, like I've learned, just when you think you've figured it out, someone comes out with a publication that makes sense and you have to change your ID all over again and reclassify your tooth. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 One thing about S. serrata is that the teeth are almost always asymmetrical, with more cusps on one root than the other. What I wrote earlier is based on the teeth that I have, but you could have more than one cusp on the side with the lower number of cusps, and more than three on the other side too. My point is that there are more cusps on the distal side of the tooth than on the mesial side of the tooth. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 LOL, yep. It's difficult enough when you have the tooth in hand much less a photograph! Sand tiger teeth that I find drive me nuts, because I just have to know. And, like I've learned, just when you think you've figured it out, someone comes out with a publication that makes sense and you have to change your ID all over again and reclassify your tooth. Add to that a timespan of 100 million years give or take all mixed up together, and it becomes that much more interesting. I agree that the top right tooth could be Serratolamna serrata, assuming 1 cusp isn't missing and it really is an asymmetrical tooth. I wasn't aware they could be found in SC There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I wasn't aware they could be found in SC I wasn't either until I found a bunch! I've found quite a bit of Cretaceous teeth there, mostly Squalicorax, but occasional sand tiger like teeth too, and some S. serrata mixed in. Most of the material is much more recent though. I've also found some ammonoid pieces, but never a whole one Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Luvthemtorts Posted December 30, 2008 Author New Members Share Posted December 30, 2008 Everyone, Thanks for taking the time to add your input! I phoned the daughter and told her what I knew so far and she is excited. Now she's talking about wanting to go out this Spring and find fossils in the National Forest around our house. Guess I need to call the ranger station and see if they can lend a helping hand. I will post pics of the teeth in question tonight showing better detail which will hopefully help with a positive ID. One question. Is the Great White tooth a fossil or from a recent fish? Thank you again to all who took the time to help out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 All of those teeth are fossils. Generally, National Parks don't permit fossil collecting but I'm not sure about National Forests. The ranger should be able to tell you. It's wise to check first before finding that out later on! Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Luvthemtorts Posted December 31, 2008 Author New Members Share Posted December 31, 2008 Fat Boy, Thanks for the heads up! Actually its the Thomas Jefferson National Forest in Va. and supposedly there are fossilized shells and stuff to be found. I'm hoping the rangers can give me some idea of where to start looking cause I don't have a clue. If anybody has been there I'd love to hear about it. The website says collecting is ok as long as its for personal use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pristiformes Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Nice teeth! Fat Boy seems to be right on the money when it comes to determining all those teeth, including the last one on the bottom right being probably from Carcharhinus plumbeus (or perhaps from C. altimus, which has very similar upper dentition complete with fine serrations). I have a modern jaw from C. plumbeus sitting right on my desk that I just looked at and sure enough the upper teeth sure look very similar to the last one in the photo. Then again, I'm looking at my C. altimus jaw right now and comparing it with C. plumbeus and the upper teeth look very similar indeed. As far as the sandtiger is concerned, I'd like to add that in addition to the Serratolamna serrata determination, I can't seem to rule out Serratolamna macrota. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Nice finds and welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now