Description
Fossilised Sharks Tooth on matrix (mackerel shark) otodus obliquus
This fossilised sharks tooth on matrix measures 2.4cm long. Being in the matrix makes it much easier to display specimens like this in collections. Although this is a composite it still has a very natural look.
The Mackerel shark otodus obliquus existed approximately fifty to sixty million years ago during the Eocene period. The term ‘Mackerel Shark’ refers to the shape of these sharks, not their diet. They were fast and streamlined and ‘fish’ shaped and lived in open seas. The actual name ‘otodus’ derives from the Greek “ear shaped tooth. These fed on large bony mammals, large fish and almost certainly other sharks. These mackerel sharks are thought to have grown up to 9 metres long. Like other species of shark their bodies were cartilage as opposed to bone. Very few skeletal structures have been discovered, generally only fossilised teeth are found. The Mackerel Shark was one of the principle and most ferocious predators of its time. Although smaller than the Megalodon Shark, the otodus was still much larger than todays Great White Shark. There is an ongoing debate as to whether these sharks evolved into the even larger Megalodon Sharks.
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