Guide On How To Find Beach Shark Teeth

[Shaney777]

Finding Fossilized Shark (Selachimorpha [Selachii]) Teeth On The Shores Of Myrtle Beach, SC: A Definitive, Authoritative, Don't-Deviate-Or-Die Guide

 

By Shane R., a.k.a. "THE master expert of all gurus"

 

Shell-bed - Crushed shells deposited during the high tide transformation to low tide. A proper bed will have NO SAND VISIBLE, ONLY CRUSHED SHELLS!! The ocean's dump... Dump of joy and goodness! This is where you always want to be in some form or another. DO NOT waste time with shell-bedless sand. Bigger pieces of shells in the bed = bigger teeth, less chance of finding squat. Smaller pieces = small teeth but higher chances. 

 

Zone 4 - Fine, hot, trash-filled, bone-dry, dredged, behind pretty sea oats sand that's furthest from the ocean (2.25/5 rating & small teeth) 

 

Zone 3 - Lumpy, warm, uneven, ever-so-slightly-moist, feet-trodden, gritty sand that's marked by beach scraping machinery tracks (?[unimportant enough that I've never looked]/5 rating & small teeth) 

 

Zone 2 - Cool, moist, older-shell-bed-filled, severely foot-trodden, vacationers-set-up-shop-full, smooth sand (3.5/5 rating & small to large teeth) 

 

Zone 1 - Very cool, super moist, lightest of waves, fresh-shell-bed filled, heavens-opened-up, stay-here-all-day, smooth-as-a-baby's-rear, where-toothy-addictions-and-backbreaking-obsessions-are-made shore sand (5/5 rating & small to very large teeth) ps. if you can't already tell, this is the zone you want 

 

Zone Almost Pointless - Cold, in the "deeper than lightest of waves," impossible-to-see-anything, "that fast wave took my spotted treasure away before I could process," shell-beds so exceptional your feet cut open and bleed, waterery sand (1.75/5 rating & large to extremely large teeth) 

 

*Baby Zip bag needed. Leave open the whole time searching. Touch fingers in ocean water, let water drip into bag, fill about 1/4 of bag (the water atoms secure your teeth), hold in one hand between thumb, forefinger, and middle finger (thumb is on right side gripped next to zipper [sharp edge of bag], forefinger nail distance is inside bag, middle finger is above forefinger outside of bag gripped to forefinger nail) while searching. Touch (or drop if you found a big momma) newly acquired teeth to water inside bag until said atoms overtake tooth, securing it in bag. Check continually for low water level and leakages. If found, dip ocean fingers and refill. DO NOT DROP BAG!!!!!! HOLY.. DONT DROP THE BAG. AND.... Don't... be.. tipping the bag either 

 

Ahem...
Now for that meat. 

 

A good mindset to always, always keep is that, chances are, if a shell bed is not actively being eroded at by active waves, any teeth of substantial size have been already taken by another collector. 

 

If you aren't actively eye-searching, continually walking, moving around, and searching for the next great eroding shell bed, you ARE wasting precious, valuable time! Look down the beach and head to the next visible bed near the shore! Lots of speed walking is needed! Check to see if waves are or might be close to hitting beds. If so, GET there as fast as possible! Scour the beach with your eyes and be PROACTIVE! Beat the next collector! Be on top of it! 

 

If you aren't bent over the whole time, you ARE missing great teeth! R.I.P. Mr. back

 

When you've found a shell-bed near the shore that's actively being eroded by waves, pay super close attention to the area where the sand (closest to ocean) meets the shell bed. This area (and just to the top of bed [furthest from ocean]) is where very large teeth can be found! The middle of the bed is just as good! So check the whole bed!!duh! Make sure the sun is BEHIND YOU and the tooth's enamel should shine like utter diamond from the fresh water on them. Pay SUPER close attention to the bottom of said bed when a wave thoroughly hits it: sometimes teeth come SHOOTING out! The water is naturally sorting this big bed of shells for you! Thank the wind for the eroding waves! Thank the moon for providing the large tide that dropped the shells! 

 

The bed that is actively being hit by waves is loooong, as you can see, so don't stay in one place! Pace back and forth the distance of bed where waves are hitting (only where waves are sorting for you)! You are greatly increasing your chances of finding a tooth if you are walking back and forth whilst looking! Pace! Don't stay in one place! Pace! Don't do et . Pace! 

 

Scan scan scan! 
If you aren't actively scanning, you are missing!
Active active! Nonstop! This is work since they're valuable to the Gay Dolphin dude!

 

If not trying to fool with tide charts, prepare to be out for at least six hours in order to catch key times. 

 

Full moons and new moons are the greatest times to look.
Day before and after. Morning. 6:45 am. Nautical twilight time... If there is a storm, GET OUT THERE NOW. 
Legendary fun awaits. 

 

If no shell beds can be found (you're basically fricked...but), bring a short metal shovel, use toes to find an under the sand shell bed, make sure it is close to the ocean, dig large scoops, throw to edge of where water is hitting, let nature erode, search quickly at results.

 

Thank me for this quality, highly treasured, highly secret, authoritative, veteran, insider, seasoned info and data by...
Showing me what you find! 
<3

 

~SR

[tmaier]

I once arrived at the city beach of Venice, Florida, and there in the middle of a volley ball game was a large Meg tooth. I waited until the ball was not in play, and ran out and snagged it. I can't believe nobody else noticed it! Imagine jumping up to do a spike, and coming back down on that tooth (it was about 3.5 inches, 90 mm).

So... that's probably a method not found in the book. =-)

[Kdeus]

Couldn't agree with your guide more. I hit the beach at least once a week, this week have been there 3 times. Last Monday with the super moon, teeth were abundant. Found 50 inside two hours along with some pieces of bone, a few ray plates, and a possible whale earbone or something similar. The smaller were mostly found in the area of the shell beds closest to surf as the surf, some found in the shell beds at the high tide line. I like it when the water washes over them because I can see them better. I seem to have an eye for finding very tiny teeth, too.

I went out Saturday night in the dark and found more goodies, but kept to the high tide shell beds because the tide was coming in. But found several turtle shell pieces, a puffer fish plate, and other bone and wood fragments, and about a half dozen shark teeth. Not too bad for hunting with a flashlight

 

Our beach still has a lot of debris from the hurricane so I also go up to where the debris is and look around as it has been mostly undisturbed. Yesterday was another day at a different beach and found only a handful of teeth and three puffer fish plates. Not a lot of other bone fragments. It has a larger shell shell bed so I'll go back soon with my scoop and sift through. I'm waiting to find great white tooth which I know others have found them on area beaches.

 

I use a small pill jar that I keep in my pocket for the teeth and smaller finds and a larger ziplock inside my backpack for larger things. I used a baggie in the past, but I am so afraid I'm going to drop it, so having the lock-on pressure lid from the jar, I can easily turn it and make sure that all my goodies don't fall out if I were to accidentally drop it. I also keep my keys and cell phone in another baggie because one of these days, the outgoing surf is going to pull me down!

 

[tmaier]

Also, this time of year, watch out for the sand burrs. They blow across the sand and if you step on one it will bring you down with pain. I stepped into a pile of them once that had me crippled for more than an hour.

[Kdeus]

Those sand burrs are evil!

[caldigger]

Had to look up Sand Burrs. Could water shoes/ aqua socks help with this problem?

[Shaney777]

11 hours ago, tmaier said:

I once arrived at the city beach of Venice, Florida, and there in the middle of a volley ball game was a large Meg tooth. I waited until the ball was not in play, and ran out and snagged it. I can't believe nobody else noticed it! Imagine jumping up to do a spike, and coming back down on that tooth (it was about 3.5 inches, 90 mm).

So... that's probably a method not found in the book. =-)
 

That is a very cool story! Was it by itself? I have a hard time finding teeth that are all by their lonesome. Maybe you saved someone from a costly hospital visit!

[Shaney777]

10 hours ago, Kdeus said:

Couldn't agree with your guide more. I hit the beach at least once a week, this week have been there 3 times. Last Monday with the super moon, teeth were abundant. Found 50 inside two hours along with some pieces of bone, a few ray plates, and a possible whale earbone or something similar. The smaller were mostly found in the area of the shell beds closest to surf as the surf, some found in the shell beds at the high tide line. I like it when the water washes over them because I can see them better. I seem to have an eye for finding very tiny teeth, too.

I went out Saturday night in the dark and found more goodies, but kept to the high tide shell beds because the tide was coming in. But found several turtle shell pieces, a puffer fish plate, and other bone and wood fragments, and about a half dozen shark teeth. Not too bad for hunting with a flashlight

 

Our beach still has a lot of debris from the hurricane so I also go up to where the debris is and look around as it has been mostly undisturbed. Yesterday was another day at a different beach and found only a handful of teeth and three puffer fish plates. Not a lot of other bone fragments. It has a larger shell shell bed so I'll go back soon with my scoop and sift through. I'm waiting to find great white tooth which I know others have found them on area beaches.

 

I use a small pill jar that I keep in my pocket for the teeth and smaller finds and a larger ziplock inside my backpack for larger things. I used a baggie in the past, but I am so afraid I'm going to drop it, so having the lock-on pressure lid from the jar, I can easily turn it and make sure that all my goodies don't fall out if I were to accidentally drop it. I also keep my keys and cell phone in another baggie because one of these days, the outgoing surf is going to pull me down!

 

Thank you! I must say I am jealous that you got to hunt near such a historic moon! It sounds you are familiar with a lot of different fossil types. I can't say I have branched out all that much, although I did find my first fossil horse tooth not long ago. Your jar idea sounds like a good, safe way to go about it. I've dropped my bag a few times and lost quite a bit. But it sounds like you live near the beach. I actually live about seven hours from a beach, so on the rare occasion that I get to go, it's a real treat! Thank you for the comment!

[Shaney777]

10 hours ago, tmaier said:

Also, this time of year, watch out for the sand burrs. They blow across the sand and if you step on one it will bring you down with pain. I stepped into a pile of them once that had me crippled for more than an hour.

Those things look evil!!! I've never had the displeasure of experiencing one, thank goodness.

[Kdeus]

6 hours ago, caldigger said:

Had to look up Sand Burrs. Could water shoes/ aqua socks help with this problem?

Those will help if you step on them, but if they get on the tops or sides, they may poke through. I pick some up sometimes when I go out hiking, too. They're a pain to pull off, figuratively and literally.

[Kdeus]

25 minutes ago, Shaney777 said:

Thank you! I must say I am jealous that you got to hunt near such a historic moon! It sounds you are familiar with a lot of different fossil types. I can't say I have branched out all that much, although I did find my first fossil horse tooth not long ago. Your jar idea sounds like a good, safe way to go about it. I've dropped my bag a few times and lost quite a bit. But it sounds like you live near the beach. I actually live about seven hours from a beach, so on the rare occasion that I get to go, it's a real treat! Thank you for the comment!

Thank you! It was a treat! I had looked at the tide chart in early October and noticed the tide levels were really low on Nov 14. At the time, I didn't even realize it was because of the super moon. But, I marked that day on the calendar and spent some time at the beach while my son was in school. I'm about 30 minutes from the beach.

I really want to find a horse tooth! I know one is waiting there for me...somewhere! I've only been collecting since this summer and honestly, it wasn't until about a month ago when I found anything other than sharks teeth. It was a tilly bone, I guess. I started reading a lot on here and then started looking for some other typical beach "finds". Some of the things I pick up may not be anything at all but I put them into a bag - actually, that bag continues to grow! One day, I was sitting down looking at some of the black "rocks" and noticed that it was something that was a fossil, but not what it was (still not sure as I haven't posted it yet). It was after that that I kept picking up little things and bringing them home and looking at them a little while later and on occassion, I discover something that I didn't realize was anything before. Most I have to Google or search on here. But, it's only been a few different things so far.

 

I haven't ventured anywhere else other than the beach, yet, but that's hopefully going to change here soon. The Peace River and Gainesville are high on my list

 

[tmaier]

The sand burrs on the south west shore of Florida (Gulf) have very long spines, about a half inch long in some places. Tennis shoes stop them from the bottoms, but a burr can often poke through the upper part. Those sand shoes seem kind of thin to me.

But the sand burrs on the east coast are much shorter, like an 1/8 inch or less, and the burr itself is not so needle-like. I'm sure the thin surf boots would probably work. I usually go barefoot and carry my shoes, and keep my eyes open.

The long burrs on the Gulf side go in deep. They must be a different species than on the east coast.

[Shaney777]

23 hours ago, Kdeus said:

Thank you! It was a treat! I had looked at the tide chart in early October and noticed the tide levels were really low on Nov 14. At the time, I didn't even realize it was because of the super moon. But, I marked that day on the calendar and spent some time at the beach while my son was in school. I'm about 30 minutes from the beach.

I really want to find a horse tooth! I know one is waiting there for me...somewhere! I've only been collecting since this summer and honestly, it wasn't until about a month ago when I found anything other than sharks teeth. It was a tilly bone, I guess. I started reading a lot on here and then started looking for some other typical beach "finds". Some of the things I pick up may not be anything at all but I put them into a bag - actually, that bag continues to grow! One day, I was sitting down looking at some of the black "rocks" and noticed that it was something that was a fossil, but not what it was (still not sure as I haven't posted it yet). It was after that that I kept picking up little things and bringing them home and looking at them a little while later and on occassion, I discover something that I didn't realize was anything before. Most I have to Google or search on here. But, it's only been a few different things so far.

 

I haven't ventured anywhere else other than the beach, yet, but that's hopefully going to change here soon. The Peace River and Gainesville are high on my list

 

Woah, very cool! I'm happy to hear that you have recently discovered a terrific hobby! Just like you, I've kept a few questionable items that I feel might be an animal fossil. I'll have to post a few of them on here in the ID section sometime. But you should find amazing things in the Peace River (maybe a Megalodon). Are you planning to dive?

[Fossil-Hound]

My best advice, and I've found tons at Calvert Cliffs is to look for dark jagged angles and you'll most likely find them hanging out in conglomerates of shells. It takes years to train the eyes to look for certain shapes and edges of fossil sharks.

[JimTh]

As someone who does not live on the coast, I respectfully request a picture of a "shell bed". 

Is this the band of shell bits sitting on the beach?  Or is this actually going into/under the sand?

 

In other words, needs more pitchers!

[sdsnl]

On 12/23/2016 at 5:43 AM, JimTh said:

Is this the band of shell bits sitting on the beach? 

Short answer is yes. Around where the high tide hits the beach, many shells (as well as seaweed, corals, rocks, garbage from the sea...) will congregate, because that's where the shells are pushed towards by the wave and left behind. If you are walking from the beach to the water and you notice a sudden slope (depending on the beach, sometimes it's just a slight descent, sometimes it's like stepping down a stair, sometimes it's a long slope), you are at the shell bed. Not a very good picture but the the black line in this picture is the shell bed:

[Bone Daddy]

Considering how many sharks there are/was in the Gulf of Mexico, I have always been terrible at finding shark teeth at the southern Florida gulf coast beaches. It might just be my rotten luck. In decades of living down here, I have found a small handful while beach combing and shelling (the latter of which I have some success). But I find oodles of older fossil ones in the inland rivers, so go figure. I spend a lot of time at the beach and just never seem to find shark teeth, but I always find all sorts of shells, fossil bits, and odd jetsam. Other parts of the country, the fossil beds might just be more exposed at the beach areas. What is now coastal beaches on the Gulf was 30+ miles inland many thousands of years or millions of years ago. So the beds releasing fossil teeth may not be in the right place near the coasts in my general part of Florida. However, given how many living sharks that loose so many teeth, I think I would find more contemporary teeth (and I don't).

 

I see shell beds, like those talked about in the above posts, but they are mostly full of tiny pulverized shell bits, BB to grain sized components, and larger broken fragments and intact gastropod or bivalve shells (fossil and recent). I rarely find any teeth.