Details

COLNH:G58142

Colchester Collections

fossil, fossil tooth, Shark Tooth, megalodon

This is the fossil tooth of a megalodon shark. The earliest megalodon fossils date to 20 million years ago. The biggest sharks in the world and one of the largest predators to have ever lived, they dominated the oceans for 13 million years, becoming extinct just 3.6 million years ago. They fed on dolphins, other sharks and even whales. Fossilised whale bones have been found with the cut marks of megalodon teeth and even the tips of teeth broken off in the bone. Estimates suggest they could grow up to 18 metres in length, three times longer than the largest recorded great white shark. Almost all fossil remains of megalodon are teeth. Sharks continually produce teeth throughout their lives and lose a set of teeth every 1-2 weeks. This means they can get through up to 40,000 teeth in their lifetime. Teeth are also the hardest part of a shark's skeleton as their bones are made from soft cartilage like our ears.

Eocene Age

Otodus megalodon, Otodontidae

On Display - Natural History Museum, Colchester