How small can Megalodon teeth be?

[Bone Daddy]

Quick question. 

 

How little can megalodon teeth be? 

 

I ask, because I have heard about "baby megs" previously, but don't recall seeing much discussion about them. I was looking through my tupperware container of small shark teeth and I ran across a tiny megalodon that I had not noticed previously. I probably thought it was a bull at a glance and tossed it in with the other common teeth. Now I am thinking I might need to examine my little "common" teeth more closely. 

 

Which led me to think of a couple of other considerations :

 

1) How small can megs get?

2) How common are "baby megs" compared to larger examples?

3) Do smaller teeth have the same serrations from the start, or do the serrations develop later when the teeth are larger?

 

I don't have a photo handy of my little meg tooth, but will post one later this evening in this thread.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Bone Daddy

[Troodon]

Check this out

 

[Meganeura]

Just to add - the majority of my ~40 complete Megs are tiny. I think 30 of them are  under an inch? Maybe only 25. But definitely the majority!

 

this is my smallest - slant height of 0.46”.

[Shellseeker]

I certainly find them occasionally,  This one a week ago.  They get lots smaller than this.

 

Love those cusps in a Meg

 

 

Most people hunt with a .25 inch screen  = 6.25 mm. 

 

[Fin Lover]

This one is too worn for me to say it is a meg but, if it is, the slant height is 8mm.

This one is a pathological angustidens.  Even at 11mm slant height, the cusps, serrations and bourlette are clearly there. 

[Bone Daddy]

Here is the tooth that started all of this. 

 

 

Then I started looking through some of my small teeth and I found a few more suspects. Then I realized something else - that I find it difficult to tell small dusky, bull, and meg teeth apart. At a glance in my sifter, I see "pointy teeth" and "stubby teeth" and all of the stubby ones kind of blend together for me. In truth, most small shark teeth give me a little trouble. I can spot the obvious ones, like snaggles and threshers (pointy) and megs (stubby), but there are some that still sit on a blurry line for me.

 

What about serrations? Are serrations on a stubby tooth diagnostic of being a megalodon species?

 

A few of these small teeth have serrations on them. But, I can also imagine that these fine serrations are erased on heavily-worn river teeth. The ones with serrations are hard to see in the photo, but I have put a small pencil dot next to them. The pencil lead is shiny in the photo.

 

[Meganeura]

1 hour ago, Bone Daddy said:

Here is the tooth that started all of this. 

 

 

Then I started looking through some of my small teeth and I found a few more suspects. Then I realized something else - that I find it difficult to tell small dusky, bull, and meg teeth apart. At a glance in my sifter, I see "pointy teeth" and "stubby teeth" and all of the stubby ones kind of blend together for me. In truth, most small shark teeth give me a little trouble. I can spot the obvious ones, like snaggles and threshers (pointy) and megs (stubby), but there are some that still sit on a blurry line for me.

 

What about serrations? Are serrations on a stubby tooth diagnostic of being a megalodon species?

 

A few of these small teeth have serrations on them. But, I can also imagine that these fine serrations are erased on heavily-worn river teeth. The ones with serrations are hard to see in the photo, but I have put a small pencil dot next to them. The pencil lead is shiny in the photo.

 

There seem to be very few baby megs that aren't posteriors - which have a very distinct shape, as you can see from us. The few you've showcased all seem to be Carcharhinus, to me.

[Bone Daddy]

1 hour ago, Meganeura said:

There seem to be very few baby megs that aren't posteriors - which have a very distinct shape, as you can see from us. The few you've showcased all seem to be Carcharhinus, to me.

I did notice that distinctive shape and oversized root area they have in common.

 

So, the small teeth I have shown here are Carcharhinus. That is good to know. I think some of them look suggestive of a tiny meg to me, so that's where my confusion is rooted (pun intended).

Do the Carcharhinus species have serrated teeth? The ones I find seem to lack serrations or have lost them from river wear. Or does it vary from species to species (bull versus dusky, etc).

 

Thanks for the help. Sometimes us old-timers get stuck in a way of thinking and I need an injection of fresh good eyes and brains to kick start things. 

[Meganeura]

Just now, Bone Daddy said:

I did notice that distinctive shape and oversized root area they have in common.

 

So, the small teeth I have shown here are Carcharhinus. That is good to know. I think some of them look suggestive of a tiny meg to me, so that's where my confusion is rooted (pun intended).

Do the Carcharhinus species have serrated teeth? The ones I find seem to lack serrations or have lost them from river wear. Or does it vary from species to species (bull versus dusky, etc).

 

Thanks for the help. Sometimes us old-timers get stuck in a way of thinking and I need an injection of fresh good eyes and brains to kick start things. 

I think most if not all Carcharhinus uppers are serrated - at least Florida species!

 

This Is my smallest non-posterior shaped Meg: