Is my megalodon tooth real or fake?

[Ghully]

I started collecting megalodon teeth about a year ago and this was my first tooth. Now that I have a few others, I’ve noticed possible discrepancies with the tooth. My other teeth have a grainy, gritty textured root but this one has a smooth textured root with a shiny appearance. The root of this tooth is also very smooth/slippery to the touch, whereas with my other teeth, the root is fairly rough to the touch. Also, where the enamel meets the bourlette, that is also quite smooth but on my other teeth, it is fairly sharp and jagged in comparison. Any advice is appreciated as I’m still fairly new to collecting. Thanks in advance! 

[Ghully]

[LabRatKing]

The differences in texture are the result of cleaning and stabilization with fixatives. We will need close ups to make further observations 

[snolly50]

From the provided photos (obviously), I don't dislike your tooth at all. Perhaps the difference you perceive is the result of more ocean wear? To explore further, hit it with a UV lamp and try poking the root with a red hot needle in an effort to expose any mischief. If you suspect paint is covering a reconstruction, expose it to some acetone. Good luck, have fun.  

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

1 hour ago, Ghully said:

Also, where the enamel meets the bourlette, that is also quite smooth but on my other teeth, it is fairly sharp and jagged in comparison.

If you hunt and purchase teeth online you will start to recognize that the environments that the teeth are found in will vary greatly and affect the condition of the tooth and blade, serrations etc. 

 

This is a creek tooth from Summerville and has been eroded, redeposited, and eroded some more before I stumbled upon it. Slick as a polished stone in a tumbler (which essentially it is - a stone polished by time and the elements) Nothing rough about it ....

This next megalodon is a bone valley tooth found in Florida from a land site, a phosphate mine .. less exposure to the elements (so to speak) and has a great blade .. but the roots and bourlette of these teeth are usually eroded and fragile. 

 

 

This tooth was found in the desert and is in great condition, it was most likely exposed to mostly wind and rain.  

 

Sometimes the big meg teeth like the ones you have, were treated by a mild vinegar solution to help loosen the ocean critters that grow on the surface and at times they may polish them a bit .. but to be honest, that is a typical look and feel for a meg of that type that has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean/river

 

I mean .. they pull them up every year by the ton.  

 

Image Credit: Poseidon Adventures

 

Cheers,

Brett 

[Praefectus]

I believe that tooth is real. No repair. 

[Ghully]

9 hours ago, LabRatKing said:

The differences in texture are the result of cleaning and stabilization with fixatives. We will need close ups to make further observations 

Close ups of which parts exactly? 

[Ghully]

9 hours ago, snolly50 said:

From the provided photos (obviously), I don't dislike your tooth at all. Perhaps the difference you perceive is the result of more ocean wear? To explore further, hit it with a UV lamp and try poking the root with a red hot needle in an effort to expose any mischief. If you suspect paint is covering a reconstruction, expose it to some acetone. Good luck, have fun.  

I’ll try both of these to make sure. Thank you!

[Ghully]

14 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

If you hunt and purchase teeth online you will start to recognize that the environments that the teeth are found in will vary greatly and affect the condition of the tooth and blade, serrations etc. 

 

This is a creek tooth from Summerville and has been eroded, redeposited, and eroded some more before I stumbled upon it. Slick as a polished stone in a tumbler (which essentially it is - a stone polished by time and the elements) Nothing rough about it ....

This next megalodon is a bone valley tooth found in Florida from a land site, a phosphate mine .. less exposure to the elements (so to speak) and has a great blade .. but the roots and bourlette of these teeth are usually eroded and fragile. 

 

 

This tooth was found in the desert and is in great condition, it was most likely exposed to mostly wind and rain.  

 

Sometimes the big meg teeth like the ones you have, were treated by a mild vinegar solution to help loosen the ocean critters that grow on the surface and at times they may polish them a bit .. but to be honest, that is a typical look and feel for a meg of that type that has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean/river

 

I mean .. they pull them up every year by the ton.  

 

Image Credit: Poseidon Adventures

 

Cheers,

Brett 

I wasn’t aware of most of this information so thank you! That’s really helpful and something I’ll make sure to look into when I’m next buying. Much appreciated. 

[PrehistoricWonders]

Looks good. Nice tooth!

[Chrisc27]

Hello all, was really hoping somebody could let me know if this tooth is real with no repairs and resto. I believe it is a real Indonesian tooth. Please see attached images. There are 12 images. It seems to be a beauty, 5.75 inch upper anterior principal Meg. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Nanotyrannus35]

Be careful with all Indonesian megalodon teeth. The roots aren't usually preserved, so some sellers make fake roots out of the matrix. This one looks mostly real, but there could still be  some restoration on the root.