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LARGE BONE VALLEY ISURUS HASTALIS SHARK TOOTH - Bone Valley Formation, Central Florida, U.S.A. MIOCENE to PLIOCENE PERIOD: 23.3 - 1.81 million years ago From the Bone Valley Region of Central Florida, U.S., this spectacular fossil tooth is of the extinct Mako shark called Isurus hastalis. This prehistoric shark is a member of the White Shark family. Teeth from Isurus hastalis look remarkably similar to the modern Great White Shark less the serrations. Little is known about this species and it is classified in the genus Isurus (Mako) due to its characteristic smooth edges. Some consider this shark the "Grandfather of the Great White". Shark teeth from Bone Valley are considered to be the most beautiful in the world. Compared to the ugly black and dark brown crud-stained teeth found in rivers, Bone Valley specimens have white or very light roots and enamel in a rainbow of colors. This is a result of the unique chemistry of the sediments in Bone Valley. Despite our long term and intensive collecting efforts combined with solid contacts with the workers at the mines, this is the second blue enamel / white root Isurus tooth we have ever had from Bone Valley. It is the largest specimen we have ever seen come from this rare site. Isurus teeth are MORE RARE than Megalodon teeth from Bone Valley and without a doubt, this is the rarest specimen we have come across! The other specimen we had was much darker but the enamel on this beauty is a bright gunmetal blue and highly metallic in its appearance. The tip is very sharp and complete and the edges only exhibit the slightest of feeding wear. The tooth is completely intact with no repair and no restoration. The root has NO expansion cracks. If you want to own a choice and VERY rare Isurus hastalis tooth from this source, add this investment quality specimen to your collection. From the middle Miocene, 16 million years ago to the earliest Pliocene, about 4.5 million years ago, no other region in North America can claim a more varied and richer wealth of important vertebrate fossil finds than from the famous BONE VALLEY region in the phosphate mining district of Central Florida. During this time, thick forests and grassy plains covered a stubby peninsula that only went as far south to what is now Polk County. If you were to visit this area at that time, you would find six-foot tortoises, shovel-tusked mastodons, hornless rhinos, humpless camels, iguanas, gila monsters, and 30-foot crocodiles. The warm waters surrounding the area were filled with a rich variety of life as well, including long-beaked dolphins, bony fish, rays, sea cows and sharks including the notorious and now extinct giant killer shark, megalodon. Bone Valley fossils are rare and highly-priced specimens. Due to the unique geological characteristics of the phosphate-rich region, most of the fossils are beautifully preserved with amazing detail and color. Unlike the majority of southeastern U.S. fossils retrieved from rivers and streams, Bone Valley specimens are found in dry earth and are not stained with the typical cruddy black and brown muck from rivers. Because Bone Valley fossils comprise so much variety of both ancient marine and terrestrial creatures, along with their unique and rare beauty of preservation, specimens from this locality are very rare and of great value to any fossil collection. ONLY SECOND ONE OF ITS KIND AND THE LARGEST WE HAVE SEEN FROM THIS SOURCE! 2.45" in length on the diagonal edge x 1.85" wide SOLD SH1003 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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