New Members zwylde Posted March 24, 2009 New Members Share Posted March 24, 2009 Fossil or no? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Most shark teeth that are recent are rather rare finds believe-it-or not, since most hunters hunt in creeks ;P Recent teeth are white and unmineralized, and yours looks mineralized and slightly worn from a water source. I say Fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members zwylde Posted March 24, 2009 Author New Members Share Posted March 24, 2009 Most shark teeth that are recent are rather rare finds believe-it-or not, since most hunters hunt in creeks ;PRecent teeth are white and unmineralized, and yours looks mineralized and slightly worn from a water source. I say Fossil. I actually found it on Galveston Beach in Texas this past January. Of all the images I have found online it looks more fossil than recent. If fossil, my best guess is the Hurricane that came through in the fall uncovered a lot of old layers of sand and quite a few items that have been buried in it for some time.....just a guess though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Where was it found? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Most shark teeth that are recent are rather rare finds believe-it-or not, since most hunters hunt in creeks ;PRecent teeth are white and unmineralized, and yours looks mineralized and slightly worn from a water source. I say Fossil. What he said plus, where did you find it? Creek, river, beach, open field, hillside, what state (or country if not in the USA)? Nice tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Sure looks like a fossil to me! Great White? "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...
Haizahnjager Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Sure looks like a fossil to me! Great White? I second that motion, upper Carcharodon carcharias, Great White shark tooth. All of the modern shark teeth I have ever seen, have had a white root as well as a white crown (blade). Cool find. -HZJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilselachian Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Fossil or no? Thanks in advance. A nice fossil Great White tooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 great whites are not at all common at galveston, so it is a good find, and you should therefore be very happy and enjoy having it. not many people get to own a texas great white tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 great whites are not at all common at galveston, so it is a good find, and you should therefore be very happy and enjoy having it. not many people get to own a texas great white tooth. Ditto that! Let's see how many members have one; y'all chime in if you do! "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...
mommabetts Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members zwylde Posted March 25, 2009 Author New Members Share Posted March 25, 2009 Thanks for the responses. I've lived on the Texas coast my whole life so I'm well aware that the Great White is not a common visitor in the Gulf. That makes me question how much the currents and weather play a part in having a tooth like this show up on a Galveston beach. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 ...That makes me question how much the currents and weather play a part in having a tooth like this show up on a Galveston beach. Other factors too. The Texas coast was a far different place when that tooth was added to the ooze. Sea levels have fluctuated a lot. "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...
tracer Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Thanks for the responses. I've lived on the Texas coast my whole life so I'm well aware that the Great White is not a common visitor in the Gulf. That makes me question how much the currents and weather play a part in having a tooth like this show up on a Galveston beach.Thanks again. with a great white tooth, i don't think the currents and storms have to be as big an influence, because those teeth aren't that heavy. but with larger fossils, like the mastodon/mammoth teeth, etc., found on the beach, i definitely think they're brought in only by strong storm surge. my son once found a great white tooth in the galveston surf at a time where there had not been any recent storms. as auspex mentioned, sea levels have varied, and i would imagine either that a transgressive event or colder temperatures had the sharks occasionally near that location at some point in the past, rather than thinking that the teeth are transported long distances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members ZenSins Posted March 25, 2009 New Members Share Posted March 25, 2009 with a great white tooth, i don't think the currents and storms have to be as big an influence, because those teeth aren't that heavy. but with larger fossils, like the mastodon/mammoth teeth, etc., found on the beach, i definitely think they're brought in only by strong storm surge. my son once found a great white tooth in the galveston surf at a time where there had not been any recent storms. as auspex mentioned, sea levels have varied, and i would imagine either that a transgressive event or colder temperatures had the sharks occasionally near that location at some point in the past, rather than thinking that the teeth are transported long distances. I would definitely not give much thought to current Great White migratory patterns and habitat. Everything is different now. Climate, currents, water temp, you name it. We barely know anything about modern Great White habits, and next to nothing about what they were doing back then other than swimming in salt water and eating things. The shark that lost that tooth was likely swimming ABOVE Galveston when he lost it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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