Shark Tooth Id

[Jocky]

Hi Folks,

This tooth is different from the others in my collection found in the desert region of Qatar. It is wide and flat and bigger than most of the teeth I have found.

It is just as important for me to know where the ID comes from. I have scoured several online resources and cannot find an exact match. If someone can point me towards a source of information that could lead to an ID I would be grateful.

CHEERS

Edited August 27, 2011 by Jocky

[Al Dente]

It looks like Carcharias koerti (sometimes called Serratolamna koerti). There is another tooth called Serratolamna twiggsensis (sometimes called Cretolamna twiggsensis) that is similar and some people believe is the same as C. koerti.

All these names for the same tooth is confusing, but that sometimes happens with fossils. Other places where these teeth can be found include mid to late Eocene aged strata in the eastern half of the US and also North Africa (Morocco and Egypt).

[Jocky]

Thanks for the reply.

The reason I singled this one out is that 90% of the teeth I find have been identified as variations of sand shark. But this one is so different from all the others in that it is at least three times as wide as any other sand shark tooth I own. Is that because it comes from a different part of the mouth or is it from a particularly large shark?

You can see the difference better when its placed next to other teeth.:

CHEERS