Help Me Identify My Shark Jaws?

[thebronzewhaler]

Hey,

I bought this jaw quite a while ago now. I bought it from eBay and it was titled as just 'Shark Jaw'. I messaged the seller after i bought it and he said he doesn't know what it is but he thinks it could be a Whitecap Reef Shark jaw.

I took his word for it and assumed that it what it is. But recently i've been paying more attention to identification of Shark Jaws and I'm having my doubts on whether this is actually a Whitetip reef shark.

It measures around 10" wide.

What do you think it could be?

I've attached a photo of the Jaw itself and two additional photos of the top row of teeth and bottom row of teeth.

(obviously the top row is the triangular shaped teeth)

Any thoughts on this are greatly welcomed.

Edited April 3, 2015 by thebronzewhaler

[megafever]

it is wiether a great white or a grey shark jaw

[Al Dente]

It is one of the many species of Carcharhinus. They can be difficult to identify. The Elasmo web site has photos of many modern jaws that you can compare yours with. Go to www.elasmo.com and search for a topic called extant dentitions.

[siteseer]

Yeah, that's a tough one. I'd look at Carcharhinus plumbeus a little closer

It is one of the many species of Carcharhinus. They can be difficult to identify. The Elasmo web site has photos of many modern jaws that you can compare yours with. Go to www.elasmo.com and search for a topic called extant dentitions.

[thebronzewhaler]

Thank you

[verydeadthings]

Agreed. C. plumbeus is a good match. Fine serrations, moderately broad uppers, no strong medial or lateral notch. Defintely not a whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus).

[Paleoc]

Looks like C. plumbeus to me. Tooth count matches as well 14 upper/14 lower per side.

[thebronzewhaler]

Great thanks a lot. This has helped me out a lot. Just to make sure, is this a legal item to own in the UK?