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RARE GIANT RED MEGALODON TOOTH - Beaufort County, South Carolina, U.S.A. MIOCENE to PLIOCENE PERIOD: 23.3 - 1.81 million years ago Even if this were a two inch tooth, with its rich and chatoyant red colors, amazingly sharp serrations and tip and overall exceptional state of preservation, this tooth would still be a "MUST HAVE" to add to a collection. Red Megalodon teeth are the rarest of all the river teeth, PERIOD! At FIVE AND A HALF INCHES, it is a show-stopper and most definitely exceeds the term "investment tooth". Advanced collectors all over the world dream of owning a true red Megalodon tooth yet the river locations where these teeth can be found are VERY rare and when discovered, they are guarded like Fort Knox and cleaned out by the lucky diver(s) who made the find. Teeth of this color and certainly preservation grade command amongst the highest prices of any Meg tooth in the market. To have a tooth of this color AND of this quality AND of this size is VERY, VERY RARE. Anyone can browse our SOLD section to see it is no exaggeration to state that we most likely sell the highest volume of truly rare WORLD CLASS investment grade Megalodon teeth in the marketplace. Where other dealers usually keep the best teeth they find or buy and pass on the lesser grades to finance their personal collections, we predominantly offer what others would rarely part with. This amazingly beautiful and valuable specimen is no exception! In the last several years, we have offered less than 5 red Megalodon teeth and this one is the finest grade, largest and reddest specimen to date ever! As you review the above images, keep in mind that this tooth is EVEN BETTER in person! This is one super-stunning example of just how beautiful and rare a fossil Megalodon tooth can be. Sporting a mottled burnt orange red and gray green hue and featuring fine serrations and tip, you can rest assure that here is an investment that will never collapse or lose its appreciable value. Bourlette is complete and a rich mahogany red brown. Root is also a rich red brown. For a tooth in this size category, most collectors are willing to sacrifice considerably in quality of preservation. Even more, most teeth in this size class are simply dull in color or are completely black, not very attractive. We are known for our quality, not quantity of Megalodon teeth and this giant and rare beauty exemplifies the type of specimens we prefer to focus on offering to our discriminating clientele. Of course, this specimen has absolutely NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. This tooth features a very large spread in its geometry. The root is solid and completely intact, quite dense for such a large example. The enamel changes color and varies in intensity but the last two images are accurate in incandescent light. We cannot recommend this example enough. Red Megalodon teeth are the most requested and coveted teeth from any river source. The actual holes where these teeth are found in the Southeastern U.S. are so closely guarded that the few divers that know about them will resort to almost any means to protect their exact location. No tooth offers more promise in appreciation than river teeth of this kind of color, size and state of preservation. This tooth will be certainly be the cornerstone of any fine quality collection of rare Megalodon teeth and will most definitely appreciate in value as well as provide pride and enjoyment for many generations. Megalodon teeth found in rivers are almost always heavily eroded and worn from the high energy environment in which they were subjected to. They usually have dull, sand-blasted enamel, peeling back from the core. The roots are often damaged and the color is almost always the boring, common black. This tooth is amongst the finest investment grade Megalodon teeth we have offered. We GUARANTEE NO RESTORATION AND NO REPAIR of any kind to this rare specimen. While we strictly avoid teeth with restoration, Caveat emptor as many teeth in dealers' inventories in this size class have SOME restoration and this is rarely disclosed or detected through ignorance, dishonesty or simple lack of vigilance on the sellers behalf.
There are two schools of thought, both with excellent arguments, that attribute this monster shark to different lineages. The original name was Carcharodon megalodon and a latter theory has renamed the shark to Carcharocles megalodon. From the mid-Miocene Period 16 million years ago to the Plio-Pleistocene Period 1.6 million years ago, the ancient seas were terrorized by this beast. It is estimated that Megalodon could have easily reached 60 feet in length and weighed over 52 tons. Some researchers have stated lengths could have attained up to 80 feet! Fossil teeth have been found that exceed 7 inches in length. No one knows exactly what a megalodon shark looked like but from the shape and structure of the teeth, it is most likely that the appearance was similar to a stocky Great White shark times six! Megalodon was the second largest predator that ever existed on this planet, the largest being the sperm whale. Megalodon was larger and heavier than T. rex. Scientific reconstructions of this shark estimate the dorsal fin 5.5 feet tall, the pectoral fins at 10 feet in length and the tail over 12 feet high. If you were unfortunate enough to have a Megalodon shark swim over you, the pectoral fins would measure 30 feet from tip to tip with a torso in excess of 10 feet thick! The jaws were so large that this shark would be able to swallow a Rhinoceros whole. A predator this size would have most likely fed on large marine vertebrates, especially whales.
Fine grade Megalodon teeth are some of the most promising investment fossils. Their demand continues to grow strongly and the few regions that such quality teeth are found are now either off-limits to public collecting or nearly stripped clean to feed such demand in the market. SPECIAL NOTE: AVOID any Megalodon teeth with restoration or repair if you want a specimen that will appreciate. Unlike all other types of fossils, Megalodon teeth with ANY (even the slightest!) repair or restoration should and will sell FOR A FRACTION of the exact same tooth without such enhancements. Teeth without ANY trace of restoration or repair are WORTH MANY TIMES the price of teeth with such work performed. More and more, we are seeing teeth around 5 inches having some restoration and this is becoming a big problem with teeth over the 5 inch size class. The nature of restoration that is done is of very high quality and can go unnoticed without a trained eye and close examination. Caveat emptor! As a rule, Paleo Direct, Inc. does NOT sell any Megalodon teeth with repair or restoration. We avoid such teeth and suggest you do the same and purchase a natural tooth within your budget rather than a large specimen that has been "doctored up". Megalodon teeth in the highest Grade 10 categories are one of the most promising investments in fossil collecting. These immaculate teeth are the rarest and foster incredible collector demand far in excess of their availability. Even amongst dealers, many dealers personally collect teeth and usually keep the best specimens they acquire, selling off the more common ones. Unlike nearly every other Megalodon shark tooth dealer, we sell EVERY tooth we acquire and our primary focus over the years has been to stick with only the best and most unique Megalodon teeth. These teeth come at a price, though, and every year, they go up. Slightest positive features and unique coloration, etc., can radically up the value. If you want the best or most unusual, the premium price is well worth it and what seems like a full price today will be an unbeatable bargain tomorrow as the market continues to escalate for the premium Megalodon teeth. FINEST AND LARGEST RED MEGALODON TOOTH WE HAVE EVER OFFERED RAREST AND MOST COVETED OF ALL THE RIVER COLORS!!! SUPER LARGE BROAD SPECIMEN - INVESTMENT TOOTH! 5.5" in length on the diagonal edge x 4.4" wide SOLD SH6-027 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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Imagine
swimming in the water and suddenly without warning, being slammed by
something as big as a Greyhound bus... but this bus is different. It
has teeth the size of dinner plates and can swallow a full-grown horse in
one gulp. Second only to the sperm whale as the largest ocean
predator that ever lived, no sea creature could have ever been more
dangerous than
the infamous and (fortunately) extinct MEGALODON shark. 
Much
has yet to be discovered about this giant killer including the reason for
its extinction. Some have theorized that such a large shark must
have needed equally large prey to sustain itself, namely large
whales. As the ocean environments dramatically fluctuated with glacier
and tectonic activity, large areas of ideal habitat were affected and even
eliminated. Megalodon's food source changed because of this and the
combination of these factors adversely affected the ability for such a
massive predator to survive.