Are These Shark Teeth?

[kcooke]

I was on vacation in Pensacola Beach Florida and while looking through shell remains close to shore I found These 3 little tooth looking objects. My dad insists they are shark teeth but they look too dull to me. Can anyone help me figure out what these are and what they have come from??

[John Hamilton]

I don't think they are teeth. They look like something that came from the inside of a sand dollar.

[kcooke]

I'm very new to this, so I have no idea what that means.... Can you help me understand a little better please?

[Fossildude19]

I don't think they are teeth. They look like something that came from the inside of a sand dollar.

I agree - Sand dollar "doves"

Regards,

EDIT: from wiki answers:

"They are part of the Aristotle's lantern, a feeding structure in urchins also, commonly called "doves" by beachcombers. The lantern of clypeasteroids is much simpler than that of the regular urchins and essentially consists of the five pyramids and their five teeth. There is a central length of the pyramid, the tooth that looks like the body of the dove."

So they kinda are teeth, - just not sharks teeth!

Edited July 19, 2012 by Fossildude19

[Auspex]

I agree; parts of the "jaw" structure of an urchin or sand dollar (the entire structure is called "Aristotle's Lantern").

[kcooke]

Oh my gosh! That's actually really cool Thanks you guys! I can't wait to find more and start my Fossiling collection!!

[Fossildude19]

Aristotle's lantern

Edited July 19, 2012 by Fossildude19

[evannorton]

FYI....these are not fossils but just components of the jaw structure for a deceased sand dollar.

[kcooke]

Ohhhhh, okay. Thanks for the info! Now if I do start a Fossil collection and want to show it off to anyone I won't look like I have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm only 18, so truthfully I don't know much about fossils than what they taught us in public school, haha.

[fossiladdict]

Well you have definitely come to the right place to learn more about fossils! I used to love finding those "doves" when I was younger. I would find a sand dollar and shake it to see if I could receive a bird .

[kcooke]

I did try very hard to find a full sand dollar, but I had no such luck. Where I was staying at was a VERY public part of the beach so, most of the sand dollars I did find were already broken. Do you happen to know of any good places to look for Fossils in Georgia?

Edited July 19, 2012 by kcooke

[zachj]

every time i see big megalodon teeth i see them from georgia. If you get a dive certification you could have a realy nice collection of megs. Btw this is a megalodon tooth

a realy worn down one at that, recoverd from meg ledge, NC

they lived in the miocene and pliocene time period. Ive yet to come across one in NC but i will find one, one day.