Tiger shark teeth are very distinctive. They are long, narrow, pointed and have a square shape rather than the standard circular form of other shark teeth.
Modern sand tiger sharks have upper teeth designed to cut and lower teeth designed to grasp. The teeth of this species often show shearing damage along the mesial cutting edges. This is easily identified using geometric morphometric techniques.
Origin
A shark’s teeth are a rich source of valuable information about the environment in which it lived. A shark sheds thousands of teeth over its lifetime and each one gets preserved in sediment, providing a snapshot of water conditions at that time. A chemical called neodymium is trapped in the enameloid of each tooth and, because each ocean basin has its own distinct ratio of two different isotopes, studying the chemistry of shark teeth allows scientists to identify the ocean where that shark died.
Tiger sharks are a bit of a scavenger, and their highly serrated teeth and saw-like action can tear chunks from much larger marine animals. They also feed on bony fish, other sharks, sea turtles, squid and carrion. This makes them a favorite of fisherman, who often find them in the vicinity of boats. Their indiscriminate eating habits earned them the nickname “garbage can of the sea.”
Fossil shark teeth are common in the fossil record and are found in marine Oligocene to Recent deposits along the entire east coast of the United States. In particular, they are abundant in the Calvert Cliffs and Aurora sites in Maryland and North Carolina and the Peace River site in Florida. The teeth of several species have been recovered. The most common, those of G. aduncus, are very similar in size to the teeth of modern tiger sharks. However, they have less complex serrations and are much narrower at the base of the root than the teeth of G. cuvier.
The earliest teeth of this species are those of G. rasmusseni, which appeared in the late Oligocene and early Miocene. These teeth have a more pronounced lingual curvature of the crown and a less developed Taurus on the lower root. They are also broader at the base of the root. They are also much more rare than those of G. aduncus.
Another very early tiger shark species was G. mayumbensis, which also has very broad teeth with more complex serrations. However, its teeth are considerably taller at the base of the crown than those of G. aduncus and G. cuvier.
Color
The color of a shark tooth, or any fossil, has nothing to do with its age or type. Instead, the color of a fossil is determined by the type of sediment it was preserved in. Iron-rich sediment produces reddish or orange fossils, whereas phosphate deposits produce black teeth. Bleaching and leaching during the fossilization process can also change the color of a fossil, turning it from gray to yellow or even green.
The tiger shark is a large predator that feeds on sea turtles and clams. To help it break open these shells, the shark needs sharp teeth with a unique shape. Tiger shark teeth are short and broad with deeply-notched blades. These teeth are typically around 1 inch long but can grow up to 1.5-2 inches.
Sharks have a reputation for being vicious and cold-blooded, but the truth is that they are actually gentle animals. Sharks can be found in all oceans and are responsible for only a tiny fraction of the worldwide fish kills.
Fossil shark teeth have a lot to tell us about the oceans they lived in. The outer enameloid apatite layer of a shark tooth contains oxygen atoms from the water the shark swam in. By measuring the concentration of these atoms, scientists can determine the temperature and salinity of the shark’s environment.
Shark teeth can also reveal information about the shark’s diet. In fact, sand tiger sharks are one of the only species to consume sea turtles (a practice called embyophagy). In order to do this, sand tiger sharks need teeth with a deep serration, as the mesial cutting edge can shear through the thick skin of the sea turtle.
Sharks are a fascinating part of our planet’s natural history. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced fossil collector, the thrill of finding a shark tooth can be addictive! And when you have a hand-sculpted tiger shark tooth, you can add a little bit of the sea to your home. So go ahead, find a beach, and start digging for some treasures! Remember to always be safe while searching for fossils.
Shape
Tiger sharks are one of the largest predatory fish in the world. They are a cosmopolitan species and can be found in all oceans. This large shark is recognizable by its stripes and spots that are well-marked in young juveniles but fade as they mature. Its bluish-green to dark gray dorsal surface contrasts with a stark white underbelly. The color pattern may help to camouflage the shark from its prey.
The tiger shark’s blunt snout houses 24 identical teeth that can cut and saw with equal efficiency. The teeth are curved with serrated edges that are deep notch on the outer edge. Each tooth also has a primary cusp that extends down and is lined with tiny little serrated cusplets that can saw into prey. In addition, each tiger shark tooth has a blunt interior that can transmit tremendous force to the prey. This teeth structure is ideally suited for tearing and shearing through the tough shells of sea turtles.
Because of this, tiger sharks often target these creatures when they are in the same habitat as them. The sharks can also be seen cruising through the waters near sea turtle nesting grounds where they take advantage of this opportunity to feed on baby turtles.
Like many other sharks, tiger sharks are slow and sluggish swimmers. However, they can generate fast bursts of energy with their fins when hunting for prey. Their pectoral and caudal fins allow them to change directions quickly while evading other sharks. They also have a thick hide that was once described as six to ten times stronger than an ox hide.
In order to track their prey, tiger sharks use their eyes and lateral line (a row of small scales along the side of the body). They are also able to detect vibrations in the water using their sense of touch.
Fossil tiger shark teeth have been recovered from Oligocene to Recent deposits on the east coast of the United States. This includes fossils from the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida. Most of these fossils are from a shark called G. aduncus. However, a few collected teeth of P. contortus have the mesial cutting edge completely sheared off, indicating that these teeth were used for feeding and possibly as tools.
Size
A tiger shark’s teeth are uniquely designed to both grab and cut. They have a short primary cusp with sharp serrations along the shoulders, and they can be up to 1.5-2 inches long. The serrations help the shark cut through clam shells and sea turtles that would otherwise be impossible for the predator to tear or crush. The tiger shark’s mouth is also wide for the fish to grip its prey while it bites down.
While many sharks of the carcharhinid species have upper teeth designed to eat and lower ones for grasping, tiger sharks have rows of identical teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. They are unmistakable to fossil collectors as they have complex serrations on their mesial cutting edges and flattened root lobes that are square-like.
Another feature that makes tiger shark teeth easy to identify is the fact that they are more symmetrical in their crowns than those of other carcharhinids, and that the tips of their crowns are curved. In contrast, the snaggletooth shark, Hemipristis serra, has more rounded teeth with a twisted crown that look like triangles.
Fossils of the tiger shark can be found in deposits dating back to the Paleozoic era. The oldest known specimens are from the Oligocene and Miocene periods, and they suggest that these ancient Antarctic sand tigers were much larger than the modern sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus, which can reach 10 feet in length.
A few fossils of tiger sharks from the early Pliocene have been identified, and these sharks were more similar to the extant tiger shark, G. cuvier, with a longer tooth and more complicated serrations. Another species of extinct tiger shark, G. mayumbensis, is thought to have been shorter and lived in the late Miocene, although further research is needed on this shark.
The tiger shark is one of the most commonly encountered of all the cartilaginous fish, and it is an important food source in many parts of the world. They are one of the most widespread fish species in the ocean, and they eat a wide range of prey from other sharks to birds and even garbage such as tires or car license plates.