Description
Fossilised Megalodon Sharks Tooth, Miocene/Pliocene
This is a near complete Fossilised Megalodon Sharks Tooth measuring 6.5cm long, missing a section of the root. It dates back to the Miocene/Pliocene period 5-20 million years ago, and comes from Florida, USA
Megalodon sharks have been extinct for over 3 million years. The actual name Megalodon fittingly means ‘Big Tooth’. The megalodon shark was a species that preferred warmer water, with the juveniles inhabiting warm coastal areas. Current thinking suggests that cooling sea temperatures, brought on by the ice-ages, combined with the lack of prey led to their eventual decline and extinction. Megalodon Sharks are one of the largest and powerful predators that have swam in our seas. The largest megalodon sharks would have grown up to 15-18 metres long with jaws 3 metres wide. Because sharks don’t have bones, only cartilage, it is generally only the teeth that occur as fossils. The teeth of the megalogon shark are exceptionally robust. These teeth were perfect for grabbing prey and also cutting through and breaking bone.
The Great White Shark that is alive today grows to only a third of the size of the megalodon shark. There is still an ongoing debate as to whether the great white shark have evolved directly from the megalodon shark.
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