Shark tooth

About it

Sharks shed thousands of teeth and their cartilage skeletons rarely fossilize, so teeth are the commonest vertebrate fossil. Venice in Florida, Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, and the phosphate mines of Morocco are famous sources.

Type

Fossil (vertebrate)

Group

Shark (cartilaginous fish)

Colours

black, grey, brown, tan, blue-grey, white

Transparency

opaque

Periods

Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene

Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.