32fordboy Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Just out of curiosity, does anybody here know if any megalodon jaws or jaw fragment have ever turned up? Shark jaws are bone, right? Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweeneyb Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Just out of curiosity, does anybody here know if any megalodon jaws or jaw fragment have ever turned up? Shark jaws are bone, right?Nick Correct me if I am wrong but I think shark jaws are cartilage and it will probably only preserve under the right conditions. I am not sure if any have been found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 never heard of any Mega tooth would know Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 You're right, sweeneyb. It woulda been cool, though! Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Here is a part of a ptychodus jaw preserved in the Fort Hays Limestone. It ended up being about 5 inches wide and about a foot long. It was just a part of one jaw. There were also about 15 or so teeth found in association with it. If it had not been in the rock I'm sure it would have weathered away fast. As for Meg jaws like you were asking.....I don't have a clue!! For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 well, i think fossilized cartilage fragments of sharks have been found, like in that full set of peruvian GW teeth and associated verts that i've seen pictures of, that're in the Hubbell collection(?). but seems like we would be really familiar with the famous pictures of the meg jaw if there was one. i know there are some soft tissue fossils, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evans Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 From my understanding (not built on a very large foundation) the only Meg remains that have been found are the teeth and a few vert pieces due to the fact that everything else is cartilage. Brian Brian Evans For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 I have also read that the only remains found from megalodon so far have been teeth and verts which are extremely rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 I personally have an associated set of squalicorax teeth, many of which are still in associated cartilage. It is very unlikely, however, that cartilage will fossilise. However, much softer body parts have been preserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 The Houston Gem and Mineral Society's Paleo section has a member who took some pictures of one down in South America last year. I think it was in southern Argentina, but I'm not certain. MikeD might remember. The researchers down there keep that stuff as the property of the state, so all he could do was get the pix. Anyway, the teeth were NOT huge ones, but were still megs - less than 2". I would guess that the jaw fragment had at least 25 teeth intact with several more on the same slab. What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorefossil Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 yea the verts are pretty rare when you compare it to the amount of meg teeth found, it comes out to about 100 meg teeth for each vert here in maryland, and im talking about mostly complete or complete verts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 There are several records of calcified jaws (palatoquadrate and meckel's cartilages) of sharks from the fossil record. First off, it is calcified cartilage, sometimes as prismatic cartilage. There are a couple examples of these from sharks including Cretoxyrhina mantelli from the Niobrara, Galeocerdo from the Calvert Formation, and Carcharodon sp. from the Pisco Formation. The Carcharodon sp. specimen is actually now at University of Florida MNH. Also, from the Purisima Formation there are dozens of completely preserved palatoquadrate and meckel's cartilages of Raja binoculata known, although these aren't published yet (I'm working on it). Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mako-mama Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Sharks do not have bones--they have cartilage for a skeleton (think nose and ears). At Aurora, no associated cartilage has ever been found, in spite of several associated sets of "meg" teeth recovered. We're still looking, tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Come to think of it, some calcified cartilage has been found at PCS - calcified rostral nodes of Lamna sp., from the Yorktown Fm. I believe. See Purdy et al. 2001. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I have some small pieces of fossil cartilage and one really nice large piece from Frankstown, Mississippi. The large piece appears to have a vert in it. I do not know if it is from shark or ray. I can post a pic tonight, late tonight, if anyone wants to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bj aurora Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 From Lee Creek I too have some Carcharhiniform rostral nodes I also have some preorbital processes and hypercalcified ?suprascapulae, presumably from the same species (per Ray, Bohaska, et al in Lee Creek Mine III) There are some specimens of "cartilage" although I am not sure if they are ray, skate, or shark. As Mako Mama said, no "jaw" has been found, but we keep looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 OK - I've requested a pic of the meg jaw I mentioned above. Hopefully the guys at the museum can find a copy for me. As for cartlidge I found some this last week in the Kamp Ranch formation in the DFW area and earlier this year found a large chunk in the Pennsylvanian out near Brownwood, TX. We're guessing that the later is from a petalodus. What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Here is the cartilage on "vert" I found along with a second vert showing some cartilage on the protrusions . I do have a better piece of cartilage somewhere, but will have to box dig for it some other time. The first item is strange shape and might not have a "vert" inside it, but in real life it appears to be cartilage surrounding a vertebra. Both of these items were found at Frankstown, Mississippi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawooten Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Megs or any shark is made up of cartilage though some is found it is rare. You find teeth and verts for the most part. The best to hope for when finding a jaw is the articulated teeth. The best days are spent collecting fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthdog Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 According to Wikipedia: "A team of Japanese scientists, T. Uyeno, O. Sakamoto, and H. Sekine, discovered and excavated the partial remains of a C. megalodon, with nearly complete associated set of its teeth, from Saitama, Japan in 1989.[4] Based upon this discovery, two scientists, S. Applegate and L. Espinosa, published an artificial dental formula for C. megalodon in 1996.[4] Most accurate modern C. megalodon jaw reconstructions are based on this dental formula." I am trying to find out more about this find. 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