Is this indeed a shark's tooth

[gingeraz]

I've been a lurker for a while. First time I've gotten the courage to post.  Did I indeed find a shark's tooth, or are my teenagers right to patronize me?  This was found on a beach in San Pedro, California.

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum. 

 

It does indeed look like a shark tooth stuck in matrix. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

I do believe it is! Congrats. The brown on the "reverse" side is part of the root.

[Fin Lover]

Welcome!  Nice find...I like finding them in matrix.

[gingeraz]

You have no idea how happy you have made me.  VINDICATION!!!  I see fossils in every rock, so I get made fun of a lot. 

Also, I'm oddly obsessed with sharks, given how terrified I am of them. JAWS ruined me. So this is just the best day. 

 

I wanted to thank this group for posting about beginners books, too.  I got a new library of old used books this week thanks to previous recommendation threads.

 

Index Fossils of North America

Fossils for Amateurs

Annals of the Former World

A Fossil Hunter's Notebook

Fossils of the Palos Verdes Hills  

The Paleontology and Stratigraphy of the Marin Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro California

Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline

Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway

Megalodon: Hunting the Hunter

 

I have to go read them.  I have a lot of things to try to ID on my own first, but I'll be back.

[Stingray]

Well vindication is indeed yours revel in it………. All those who scoffed at your collecting must bow to your determination and supreme skill…. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Stingray

[grandpa]

Welcome to the forum.  Happy to have you as a member.

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, gingeraz said:

I've been a lurker for a while. First time I've gotten the courage to post.  Did I indeed find a shark's tooth, or are my teenagers right to patronize me?  This was found on a beach in San Pedro, California.

Welcome to TFF,  Ginger  I hope that you have enjoyed your lurking..

I am naturally curious,  and always have questions....

1) Which shark is it?  Does to have serrations ? A Meg has serrations,  A Mako does not... What is the maximum length of the enamel you see? Is it 30 mm or more ?

2) It might not be a shark and that would be good !!!! Then it would likely be marine mammal.... maybe a seal or a sea lion or even small whale. 

 

Are there serrations at the Red?  or is it just broken like the yellow?

[Mark Kmiecik]

You'll find a lot of different fossils cruisin' up and down 1.

[gingeraz]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:18 PM, Shellseeker said:

Welcome to TFF,  Ginger  I hope that you have enjoyed your lurking..

I am naturally curious,  and always have questions....

1) Which shark is it?  Does to have serrations ? A Meg has serrations,  A Mako does not... What is the maximum length of the enamel you see? Is it 30 mm or more ?

2) It might not be a shark and that would be good !!!! Then it would likely be marine mammal.... maybe a seal or a sea lion or even small whale. 

 

Are there serrations at the Red?  or is it just broken like the yellow?

Hi Shellseeker,

I'm in the midst of trying to figure out what kind of shark it might be. I there are no visible serrations, which is what made me think perhaps it wasn't a shark's tooth.  There are rough edges as you can see in the picture, but no visible pattern of serration. The other thing that made me doubt it was from a shark is if you look at the first picture it is shaped more like a rounded fingernail than a pointed shark tooth.  

Edited August 8, 2023 by gingeraz

[Shellseeker]

29 minutes ago, gingeraz said:

Hi Shellseeker,

I'm in the midst of trying to figure out what kind of shark it might be. I there are no visible serrations, which is what made me think perhaps it wasn't a shark's tooth.  There are rough edges as you can see in the picture, but no visible pattern of serration. The other thing that made me doubt it was from a shark is if you look at the first picture it is shaped more like a rounded fingernail than a pointed shark tooth.  

I am going ask for assistance from @siteseer.  He hunts your area.  My knowledge here is 2nd rate.

 

Thanks for the response... It is always easier with fossil in hand.  Your best guess on length and width.. It looks like at least 30-35 mm long and 15-20 mm wide.. That would eliminate almost all sharks except the Hook Tooth Mako which seem common in Shark Tooth Hill,  Bakersfield. Many of the teeth below could easily exceed the size of enamel we see...

 

Other possibilities might be small whale tooth...

 

possibly seal or sea lion.  Here is one that @ynot found at STH... I would love to hear his insights also..

 

[digit]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:24 PM, gingeraz said:

I've been a lurker for a while. First time I've gotten the courage to post. 

I too lurked for a while before being drawn in to join. We discuss fossil teeth a lot (they are generally the hardest part of an animal and preserve better in the fossil record). Despite a focus on teeth we don't bite.

 

Hard to tell what the matrix surrounding the tooth is made of--if it is harder limestone then it will be difficult to expose more of the tooth. If it is more like a grainy sandstone you might be able to carefully scrape away more of the matrix with something like a dental probe (available online) to see more of the tooth and root.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[ynot]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:24 PM, gingeraz said:

  Did I indeed find a shark's tooth,

Not sure it is a shark tooth. Would like to see picts of end and sides.

[Shellseeker]

Some edges,  I am not thinking shark tooth and I am wondering if those edges are due to damage

[siteseer]

People do find Pleistocene (San Pedro Sand) shark teeth around San Pedro.  I'm not sure if they wash up on the beach or if there are spots where they wash out of a cliff.  I'm not sure what that specimen is.  It has the look of having chipped enamel.

 

Years ago, I was near San Pedro looking at a street vendor's items (souvenirs for tourists) and noticed a loose shark tooth for sale.  it had nice color (blue and yellow).  He said he found it and that it was a blue shark tooth.  I observed that it was actually a great white tooth and told him the differences.  Suddenly, it was not longer for sale.  He was thrilled to have found a great white tooth.

[Yoda]

Welcome to the Forum

Nice to see someone reading good old fashioned books 

[gingeraz]

Hm.  Thought I posted this last week, but apparently it didn't take.

 

@Shellseeker and @ynot and @digit here are some additional side view/edge pics.  I scraped away more matrix to reach the root, and can measure about 25mm of enamel on the part I was able to scrap.  I am reluctant to do more, as the tooth is cracked in a few places, and I don't want it to break. 

 

Regarding serrations, I bought a dino-lite to be able to see the fossils I've collected better. Upon closer inspection, one could argue there are some serration patterns, but most have been worn away if so.  The problem is there are some broken edges, so it is really hard to tell.

 

Also there are parts of the tooth that are very straight edge.  The tooth is mostly flat, like a shark. Slightly convex on the top and concave on the bottom. Not conical in any way.  What is also odd is the rounded tip.  It isn't pointed like most shark teeth. The closest we've been able to find in shape is a blue shark tooth fossil pic.  I guess given the top of the tooth has been broken, it is possible a pointed tip was broken off.

 

I did find it on a rocky beach under a cliff.

 

Not sure if the pics help or not. 

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by gingeraz

[digit]

26 minutes ago, gingeraz said:

I guess given the top of the tooth has been broken, it is possible a pointed tip was broken off.

Yup. The tip is definitely missing on this one. The lower edge of the enamel that is exposed looks to be continuing on into a root that is consistent with a shark tooth.

 

Does an acid (like distilled white vinegar) react at all with the stony matrix? If it creates bubbles then the matrix is likely some sort of calcium carbonate (limestone). Dripping on some vinegar might help to soften the matrix allowing more to be exposed. Acids (strong ones anyway) may blemish tooth enamel so take care to keep it from the tooth.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Shellseeker]

3 hours ago, gingeraz said:

Also there are parts of the tooth that are very straight edge.  The tooth is mostly flat, like a shark. Slightly convex on the top and concave on the bottom. Not conical in any way.  What is also odd is the rounded tip.  It isn't pointed like most shark teeth. The closest we've been able to find in shape is a blue shark tooth fossil pic.  I guess given the top of the tooth has been broken, it is possible a pointed tip was broken off.

 

I did find it on a rocky beach under a cliff.

 

Not sure if the pics help or not. 

Great Photos and good analysis.... A flat tooth shark_like, great than an inch long (there has to be some of it in the rock),  no serrations ..  Without any additional input or insights,  I'll vote for Hook Tooth Mako,  relatively common fossil in your area,  Break off the tip on the pictured tooth , put the root in matrix,  we are looking at the top side edge....  or at least , that is a good possibility..

[gingeraz]

@digit and @Shellseeker, Thank you so much for staying with me on this. This was super fun for me. I’ll be back soon with more finds!