Diseased or injured megalodon tooth?

[Jon C]

My son found what I think is an oddly shaped Megalodon tooth (grey tooth) on the beach in South Carolina near Charleston.  The tooth seems small, blunt, and rounded.  It's very thick, but only about 7cm long.  Aside from the big chip at the tip, the enamel on the outer edges is intact but wavy, so the deformation isn't from breakage or wear in the ocean.  I included another tooth I found on a beach in NC (Topsail Island) for comparison (I don't know the species of that one either -- maybe another meg?).  

 

The back of the enamel on the meg tooth is split and there's a weird, circular nub the top where the enamel ends which looks like a growth.  It's definitely part of the tooth and about 2-3mm above the enamel.  The split in the enamel on the back is also raised and you can feel a noticeable ridge all the way down the back of the tooth.  I provided a close up of it.

 

Can anyone tell me:

1.  Is this a meg tooth?

2.  What might be wrong with it?  Why is it so short and what might that split and nub on the back be?

3. What's the species of the normal-looking black tooth used for comparison?

 

Thanks

[automech]

[Fin Lover]

 

10 hours ago, Jon C said:

3. What's the species of the normal-looking black tooth used for comparison?

Looks like a meg to me.

[TyBoy]

Just looks like a very beat up, not well preserved megalodon tooth

Edited August 29, 2023 by TyBoy

[TRout]

Both teeth appear to be megs. The grey tooth does look like it has some pathology (the bump and ridge in the enamel on the back). Pathological shark teeth can be caused by a variety of reasons such as injury or genetic mutations. 

[Jon C]

Thanks for the info.  The grey tooth is just triple the thickness of the black one, but overall size assuming it had a point would be the same as the black one.   Therefore, I thought something was really wrong with it and it was smaller/shorter than normal given its thickness. 

[Fin Lover]

The lighter tooth has a significantly worn root as well as the missing tip, so I think it would have been larger than the black tooth.

[sixgill pete]

I see nothing on either tooth I would label as a pathology. Both of them are well worn and broken as many beach teeth are. The grey tooth being the more badly damaged of the 2. 

[Andrewsucks]

Its just worn. Still, a nice one.