Megalodon Tooth

A MEGALODON TOOTH  

Otodus megalodon  

Miocene epoch (approximately 23–3.6 million years ago)  

South Carolina, USA

specimen: 5 1/2 inches (14 cm)  

height with stand: 7 inches (17.8 cm)

The striking near-black preservation is the result of phosphatic mineral replacement of the enamel.

Otodus megalodon, extinct for approximately 3.6 million years, is the largest predatory shark known to science. Its teeth were shed and replaced continuously throughout its lifetime; examples above five inches are considered excellent exhibition-quality specimens, and this example, with its impressive proportions and high standard of preservation, represents the species at its most collectible.