Vtfish Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Hi, I just got back from a family trip to folly Beach and found my first sharks teeth. I looked for hours, finding nothing and then found 6 in 5 minutes, followed by hours of nothing. I am very excited and thankful for the ones I found, but is this common? I also need help with ID from the experts. Thank you so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Hi and welcome to the forum from Illinois. That is so common no matter what kind of fossil you're looking for. It also applies to fishing, hunting, etc. Can't help with the ID, but nice finds. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Same here, sometimes shark teeth will be deposited in "pockets". Perhaps currents create an eddy and pull all the debris into a whirlpool and drop the heavies. Some days I will dig for hours not finding much at all and then all of a sudden will uncover a bunch in one small area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vtfish Posted August 8, 2019 Author Share Posted August 8, 2019 Thank you for the replied. It's good to know that this has happened to others. I was getting very discouraged until I finally started finding some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrophyseter Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 The large brown tooth is that of a requiem shark of the genus Carcharhinus (which contains species such as the bull, grey, and copper sharks). The smaller teeth may be an array of requiem (the broadened teeth) and sand tiger shark (the pointy teeth) teeth. If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 6 hours ago, caldigger said: Same here, sometimes shark teeth will be deposited in "pockets". Perhaps currents create an eddy and pull all the debris into a whirlpool and drop the heavies. Some days I will dig for hours not finding much at all and then all of a sudden will uncover a bunch in one small area. Ain't it the truth though? It also happens with artifacts. I was beachcombing here on Guam last year and found a spot on the upper beach where I picked up over a dozen expended bullets and casings of various calibers. Never found anything since, and I've returned 5-6 times. 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 7 hours ago, Vtfish said: Hi, I just got back from a family trip to folly Beach and found my first sharks teeth. I looked for hours, finding nothing and then found 6 in 5 minutes, followed by hours of nothing. I am very excited and thankful for the ones I found, but is this common? I also need help with ID from the experts. Thank you so much. A As Macrophyseter noted, the top tooth is a Carcharinid, probably bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). 2nd & 3rd teeth are sand tigers of some species. Probably genus Carcharias, but I hazard to speciate. 4th might be from a lemon shark, Negprion eurybathrodon. The 5th and second from bottom is also a Carcharhinid tooth, and may be C. plumbeus, the sandbar shark. Is this tooth really thin in cross-section, with very fine serrations? The last tooth is probably a small Carcharinid, but I can't tell. 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilDog Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 I have nothing to add to the identifications, but can tell you that after years of hunting teeth on North and South Carolina beaches, your experience is not uncommon. Hours of searching with nothing to show...then a great find! It's what keeps us coming back time and again hoping for that next great discovery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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