DeloiVarden Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hey guys, I wish I brought my gopro with me today, because I found a few decent megalodon teeth. My first tank wasn't going so well with only a bunch of small stuff (makos, hemipristis, GW, tiger, etc.). Then toward the end of the tank, I landed a 5.6" meg. Of course it looked even bigger under the water. The second tank also started out slow. Then I saw an even bigger tooth. Under the water it looked world record size (~7 1/2). I did a quick measurement when I got in the boat and before heading out for my third tank. It measured about 6 1/8" on the slant. Not quite the record, but nice. After getting home and cleaning up the tooth, I realized I must have measured the shorter slant, because the longer slant on this tooth was 6.59". That's a half inch bigger than my biggest to date. I wish it was in better condition, but the condition isn't bad considering the size. Maybe next time I will take the camera so that I can include a video of the find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congratulations Jason but I think you should throw it back till it finishes growing up. That is an incredible find and I'm glad it was a good day for you. Bobby "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilselachian Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Way to go Jason!! Incredible find. FS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congratulations on your biggest-to-date; it's a beast! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsofnj Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Just sweeeet, Congratulations It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling. - Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 ... because I found a few decent megalodon teeth. UNDERSTATEMENT... .. ... but the condition isn't bad considering the size. I realize that this is true, but Why? I have recently found both a 3.25 and 2.50 Meg, each in almost perfect shape... I went to a fossil show last month and was surprised that a 4.85 Meg was also in perfect condition. Why do larger teeth seem to take more wear and/or damage? The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congratulations, Jason. It would be the centerpiece of many collections. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudduck Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congrats! Very nice find! I bet your Heart skipped a couple of beats! I am still looking for my first "Big" tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axelorox Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nice find. Imagine how big the owner must have been! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Cool. That shark could have used that ruler as a toothpick. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taffie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Great find, congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertman Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Outstanding finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webby Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Yeah doggy! MEGS on da REG! http://coastalfossiladventures.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nice Jason. I'll take one that size in any condition. Beats my biggest by about 1 3/4". Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncjack99 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Congrats Jason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svillej Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 That's a beast, way to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwbh Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 WOW, 6 1/2"+ that is a massive tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 You so lucky!!! :greenwnvy: In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 In response to Shellseekers questoin, "I realize that this is true, but Why? I have recently found both a 3.25 and 2.50 Meg, each in almost perfect shape... I went to a fossil show last month and was surprised that a 4.85 Meg was also in perfect condition. Why do larger teeth seem to take more wear and/or damage?" Nothing complicated, just statistics. I don't know that bigger teeth necessarily are more prone to damage. All teeth are. After all, these teeth are sinking into whale blubber and bones, not to mention the occasional biting of ones own teeth. But on any given dive, I find hundreds of teeth of all grades and sizes. Most of which though will be smaller 1-2" vs only a few 4+ inch. Some are partial fragments, others are whole but heavily river worn and chipped, and a few (very few) are in good shape with sharp serrations. In general, I end up with more prinstine small ones only because I find a lot more small ones per dive than big ones. So even if the rate of prestine teeth to beat up teeth is the same for all sizes (Ex 1 prestine to 100 beat up) I will end end up with more prestine small ones since I may find a 100 small ones per dive. Wheras I have only found a few around the 6" mark over the past two years. Of these, only one was near perfect. So I may get a prestine small tooth per dive verses a prestine 6+ once a year (if that). Hope that makes since. Now, one could also argue that the biting force of a 60+ foot shark is likely a bit stronger than 10-20 foot shark. But there is a lot more root surface area in the gums, so the tooth may get several chips, dings, etc. before it is finally lost. Whereas a smaller shark may just loose the tooth the first time it hits bone just right. And finally there is the force the tooth hits the bottom. If a shark is in 60' of water, that big tooth weight over a pound, is going to sink like a crashing air plane and may hit the bottom harder than a 1-2" tooth which weighs an ounce. Again though, I think the statistics behind the frequency of finds likely plays the biggest role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeDOTB Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Nice tooth. What was the condition of those makos and great white? DO, or do not. There is no try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Joe Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Nice tooth there Jason. Congrats! Hope to be getting in the water soon myself. Always looking for that big one. Don't forget the Cypress Gardens Fossil Show is coming up on Feb. 18 2012 there will be lots of BIG TEETH on display plus all kind on fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Nice tooth. What was the condition of those makos and great white? Some of the makos and one GW were in really good condition. Then there were the many that are chipped or broked or in the case of the GW, missing roots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Snarge Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 In response to Shellseekers questoin, "I realize that this is true, but Why? I have recently found both a 3.25 and 2.50 Meg, each in almost perfect shape... I went to a fossil show last month and was surprised that a 4.85 Meg was also in perfect condition. Why do larger teeth seem to take more wear and/or damage?" ... If a shark is in 60' of water, that big tooth weight over a pound, is going to sink like a crashing air plane and may hit the bottom harder than a 1-2" tooth which weighs an ounce. Again though, I think the statistics behind the frequency of finds likely plays the biggest role. I would speculate that surface area also plays a role. A particle with greater surface area would be more likely to contact other particles in a riverbed. Additionally, as the porous gum surface increases, a greater amount of water can saturate or drain from a meg tooth. Geochemical properties of the groundwater (or seawater) could decrease the fossil's integrity over time. King of Snarge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyatdeadlow Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 BEAUTIFUL TOOTH!!!!! WOW Im sure that was quite the rush!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriangleFossils Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Wow, it may not be in perfect condidtion but it makes up for it in size! Great find. Do you mind giving a general location where you were diving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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