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Thinking about selecting a light sand color for the background to make these teeth pop. Here’s an evolutionary display of the Megalodon. Left-to-right: O. obliques, O. auriculatus, O. angustiden, O. chubutensis, O. megalodon. Notice the abscence of cusps from the Meg. The two right most teeth are from Calvert Cliffs, the two in the middle from South Carolina, and the far left from Morocco. FYI @Kurt Komoda @FossilSloth @caldigger @SailingAlongToo @Malcolmt

here are some nice shark teeth I found last year in Georgia

I'm preparing to put these teeth up into a plaque to showcase the evolution of C. megalodon (a much disputed topic in and of itself). I just acquired the second to left tooth from a dealer in Florida who claims the tooth is a C. auriculatus and the middle tooth was from another dealer who claims it's a C. angustiden. I realize that size in this scenario doesn't matter and I should pay more attention to the serrations and defined cusps but I'm beginning to wonder if the middle tooth is a C. auriculatus because of the increased number of serrations and more defined cusps and the one to it's left could be a C. angustiden. I'm considering swapping them for the display but I'm not sure if that would be accurate. I've read a number of articles that argue that the C. angustiden and C. auriculatus where just a large O. obliquus. That's another debate. Should these all be classified under Otodus rather than Carcharocles? I'm leaning towards Otodus because from an evolutionary stance that would make for sense. The teeth on the right side (left to right) are C. chubutensis and C. megalodon both from Calvert Cliffs, MD. What are your thoughts on this subject? FYI @SailingAlongToo @WhodamanHD @Kurt Komoda @Peat Burns

Hi everyone, I just got back from my morning trip to the beach and am thrilled to have found another nice tooth. Last night I went out and the tide was much too high, I ended up leaving after a few hours with only a few small teeth. As I searched the beach for the first hour this morning, I started to worry that my luck might finally be running out. Thanks to Memorial Day weekend the beach was absolutely packed, which was an unpleasant change of pace from usually having the beach mostly to myself. As I started to lose interest and consider heading back to the car, I decided to check up higher in the dryer shell deposits as opposed to where the waves were reaching. As I walked a few feet up the beach, I almost immediately stumbled across this tooth, lying completely exposed with footsteps surrounding it a few feet in each direction. The tooth was almost fully dried out at this point and must have been sitting there for close to an hour as the tide had receded 10-20 feet down the beach. Tourists looking for shells littered the beach in every direction, I was in shock that nobody had seen this tooth all morning! I have attached a photo of the tooth as it laid in the sand upon finding it. Unfortunately the tip is a little damaged, however the root is probably in better condition than every large tooth I've found here. Additionally, the coloration of the tooth is very different compared to the jet black teeth I am used to finding. Although I didn't end up finding much else in the next hour or so (a few small teeth), I'm really happy I decided to head out this morning. It's funny how when the hunting has been really good, just one bad day can really kill your confidence. At the same time though, just one good tooth brings it all back! I'll be back out there soon... Cheers!

Hi everyone, I just returned from a morning beach hunting trip and found what I'm thinking is a small meg. I'm not entirely sure though, because nearly every other larger tooth I've found here has been identified as angustidens. It was found on Wrightsville Beach/ Wilmington, North Carolina. I'm thinking meg because of the lack of cusps. Anyone?

Hi everyone, I was just seeking a little information on the relationship between the Megalodon, Angustidens, Auriculatus, and modern Great White sharks. Clearly the modern Great Whites are the most recent subspecies, but what about before them? Was Megalodon first with each shark decreasing in size until today's Great Whites? Did Angustidens come before or after Auriculatus? Any kind of clarification would be appreciated!! Thanks

All the time we have a reoccurring theme of a megatoothed shark tooth with no locale info being labeled as unidentifiable. You would think that those ol’scientists had some good reasons for separating the species out (other than time and place). I have been lucky enough to collect all the teeth from the middle of this line and have made some simple observations. I don’t know whether they stand to scrutiny, but I thought I’d share them. Because I really don’t know what the status of Carcharocles is, im going to use Otodus despite Carcharocles being the cooler name by far. Here it goes: Otodus Aksauticus Fig. 1 Pretty different from Otodus if you asked me. Mine comes from the Early Eocene of Maryland’s Nanjemoy formation. It is Typically early Eocene and a not a very prolific species it seems. The cusp serrations are not very fine, and the blade serrations are large (though not as large as paleocarcharodon) and irregular. May be hard to see in my specimen. This species is probably descended from Otodus obliquus Otodus auriculatus Fig. 3 I believe sokolovi and sokolowi are synonymous, they occur in a number of sites of early- or Mid-Eocene age. I am kind of confused, as I have one that matches the description (and was sold to me as a sokolovi) from Dakhla, Morocco which seems to be late eocene with some late Paleocene deposits (less likely). Take this figure with a generous helping of sodium chloride. These are the first teeth in the lineage that seem to be more common large (2-4 inch slant height it seems) than small. The serrations are slightly finer but still irregular on the blade. The cusp has both large and small serrations. This species probably evolved from Aksauticus (Otodus will be assumed from this point forward). Otodus sokolovi Fig. 2 These are from the mid- late Eocene, and seem to have some degree of regional variation. Mine is from the Late Eocene Harleyville formation of South Carolina. They still tend to keep under 4 inches. Serrations are fine and regular on the blade (because there is a bit of wear on mine it’s hard to see). Cusp serrations are fine but still get large around the point of the cusp. They are probably descended from auriculatus, and are considered by many to be one species. They are here for splitters sake. Otodus angustidens Fig. 4 Okay, so embarrassingly enough I have one good (unworn enough for meaningful automorphies to be seen) angustidens, and it’s a juvenile. I hope you’ve taken a grain of salt for this whole thing, but this one should be a nice chunky crystal. Any way, they are most common in the Oligocene (when they appear). They get almost meg-sized, about five inches is the biggest I’ve heard tell of. They have fine, regular serrations on both the blade and the cusp, only minutely larger towards the apex of the cusp. Cusps are also is moving towards the blade as well as becoming more circular as opposed to the more triangular ones possessed by earlier megatooths. Some can be very difficult to tell from auriculatus/sokolovi (from which it is likely to have evolved. Angustidens tends to have a more triangular blade then auriculatus but this is a flimsy standard and doesn't work in many cases. Mine is from the oligocene Chandler Bridge formation of South Carolina So thats it, figures below, thanks to @Nimravis for the magnifying technique. Chubs are a whole different ball game, one which I am not ready to play at the moment. I think I’ll do a thread on it some other time. hope you enjoyed, please point out any errors or additions! Fig. 1

Hello everyone ! I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is an otodus or auriculatus tooth ? I have the impression that there are some tiny serrations on the edge of the tooth, but they are so small that I am really unsure. Also can anyone tell me if it comes from a juvenile or adult specimen ? Thank you very much in advance !

So, I have acquired a specimen of every species from cretolamna to C. megalodon. Now I just need to get better representatives, or ones that fit the bill better (posteriors, around 2 inches, and curved to the right). The last specimen is coming in the mail later this month (a auriculatus). I need to find a new otodus, a larger angy, a complete meg, and maybe an aksauticus that curves right. Here’s the set without auriculatus, I’ll update this thread with it once it comes. I’ll have to get working on the GW shark line next, that one will be MUCH harder...

Hi Guys, Wanted to ping the brain trust. This tooth was listed as a Carcharocles auriculatus from Morocco ...... the serrations look more like a Paleocarcharodon orientalis from Morocco to me. Though I'm not familiar with the morphology or variation in these teeth so I was curious what others thought. It's a bit small so there's that as well. Thanks, Brett

My son and I went out to my favorite Eocene/Miocene Maryland site to continue an excavation (more on that in the future) and do some collecting. My best Miocene find was this porpoise humerus with some really nice feeding damage. Looks like a small shark raked the bone a couple of times. On the way back I checked the lower sections (Eocene) and saw a small piece of bone sticking out of the cliff (pic below) Couldn't tell what it was, but any bones or teeth in this section are quite rare. So I dug it out, and it popped out before I was ready for it and fell in some leaves at the base of the cliff. Rummaged around for a few seconds and found it, and when I turned it over, this is what I saw: Here it is cleaned off. A real nice little 1.25 inch early Eocene C. auriculatus. These are often considered to be late Otodus transitionals as the serrations become very fine then disappear toward the tip.

As most people, I would much rather find a fossil myself than buy or trade for a fossil, but there are those fossils that come up (and are within your reach) that you simply can't resist. Being a "cusp nut," this C. auriculatus is one of those rare occasions for me. This South Carolina monster measures 3.8" and is as solid as they come. What sold me on this tooth was the tip - you just don't see many big teeth with an intact tip serration. Enjoy! -HZJ P.S. I wonder if it's an upper or a lower tooth?

Well, it's been a very long time since I've shown you guys some fossils, so I just went out and took some photos of some stuff from my last couple dives. Here's two Florida auriculatus teeth...pretty uncommon out of any river other than the Suwannee, but I have a small site that seems to occasionally produce them. The bite damage on the lighter colored one really makes it a real heart breaker...very rarely do you get those colors from any Eocene teeth here unless you find a mine...and of course, only the tip was buried when I first saw it, so I just knew it was going to be flawless. Next is this thing I found yesterday evening: Capromeryx (antelope) horn cores from the Blancan (latest Pliocene/earliest Pleistocene.) Yes, one of the horns are broken off, but for something this rare I won't complain a bit. Click HERE and look at the antelope's head...that's this piece - the two horns and part of the eye socket. -Cris

The tooth on the left is a 3 5/8 inch Auriculatus found by my grandson on the last Friday of last year. On the right is an Auriculatus root I found yesterday at the same quarry. If only it was the whole thing. I believe it would have been 4" plus.

Hey guys, I've been off the radar for awhile .. work you know .. been working on Siggraph for those of you who are familiar with software development. Just wanted to start a new topic here .. This one is right at 3.00" - 7.62cm C. carcharias Bahia Inglesa Formation South of Caldera Provincia Copiapo III Regio de Atacama Chile