ThePhysicist Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Hey y'all! I need help with this one shark tooth I found in Galveston, TX a couple of years ago. I initially thought lemon, but I'm not sure anymore. Any insight would be much appreciated! The tooth measures almost exactly 1.5 cm from root to tip. To me, it closely resembles a tooth also from Galveston (3rd, 4th pictures). However, it's missing serrations. It's possible they're worn off as the root is diminished as well. I think it's possible it could be a hammerhead. The blade seems too flat and broad at the root to be lemon. "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I think the tooth in the round container is Negaprion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 16 hours ago, Al Dente said: I think the tooth in the round container is Negaprion. I concur. Lateral Negaprion sp tooth. OP: In comparing the two teeth: 1. Compare the tooth in your hand, noting the near-90-degree angle of the notch and the straight edge to tooth in the container whose edge exhibits a slight curvature, and a less-angular notch with the shoulder. The angular notch is classic hammerhead. 2. Note the strong nutrient groove of tooth in your hand. That is very characteristic of hammerhead teeth. This notch is lacking in the container tooth. 3. Note the serrations on the blade of the tooth in your hand. These are lacking in the container tooth. Lack of serrations is characteristic of lemon shark teeth. Yes, the container tooth is weathered, but you provided good, close-up photos. At this scale, some residual evidence of serrations would still be likely, however sublte (look at the shoulders, for instance). Nice hammerhead tooth, btw 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhysicist Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 Thank you @Al Dente and @hemipristis ! I guess my original assumption was correct. The hammerhead is actually not mine, those photos were pasted from the post I linked to facilitate comparison. But yes, it's a very nice hammerhead and I hope to find one myself someday! "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now