Shark tooth?

[AWaters]

I found this beachcombing in Pelican Lake, Minnesota, near Breezy Point in the east central part of the state. I was walking along a mostly submerged gravely point jutting out from an island in the middle of the lake when I spotted it. I initially thought it was an odd-shaped limestone rock, but once I picked it up it occurred to me it might be a tooth of some sort. Most of what I've read online suggests shark teeth are usually smooth and black, and this is neither. Any ideas? Thanks!

[gturner333]

Not a shark tooth. Pretty sure it is all geological. But not sure what that is at the top. 

BTW, welcome to The Fossil Forum. 

[Macrophyseter]

Unfortunately, I don't think that's a shark tooth. There is no evidence that suggests any toothy feature besides the basic shape of the rock, which is cannot be used as evidence as rocks are commonly shaped like fossils. Also, even the shape of the rock itself isnt sharky. What could be the root doesn't look like an actual shark tooth, and it's disc-like, which is nonexistent in shark teeth, plus I think the material of the "root" looks like its made of single crystal-like mineral (calcite?), whereas shark teeth roots have bone material that sets it apart from ordinary rocks. 

 

Also, when you said that you heard that shark teeth are usually smooth and black, allow me to clear it up. Shark teeth blades are almost always smooth because tooth enamel is smooth, but of course, enamel-less examples aren't always smooth. The roots can sometimes be smooth, but otherwise is less smooth than the blade (crown). The myth that shark teeth are almost always black is not true. The color of shark teeth always depends on the area it is found, as different minerals from different areas do the fossilizing, resulting in different colors based on the type of mineral that permineralized it. But one of the richest areas in the world for shark teeth, the south-east coast of the United States, hold a lot of black-colored shark teeth because the minerals there created the black color (Not always, but still a huge amount). And since the region is so rich in shark teeth, the circulation of them by trade makes it look that the fossil shark teeth are mostly black.

 

But don't stress! You probably live near a nice fossil site, so just keep digging and soon you'll find your first fossil for real! 

[Miocene_Mason]

The only sharks teeth in Minnesota would (I'm guessing) be from the Paleozoic. Sharks teeth at that point were more like crushing plates than pointy teeth. Better to have picked up a rock than missed a fossil!

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Looks like part of a quartz/quartzite vein, with a bit of matrix adhering to it. 

Sorry, not a shark tooth. 

Regards, 

[AWaters]

Thanks for the quick replies, and thanks for setting the record straight about shark teeth. I'll look for something else closer to home!