|
RAISED NIBS ON EACH SIDE OF ROOT INDICATE A LATER EVOLVED CREATURE
FASCINATING WRINKLED ENAMEL ON CUTTING EDGE
FINEST CHOICE SERRATION DETAIL ON ALL CUTTING EDGES ALL THE WAY TO END OF BOTH SIDES! THESE BASES WHERE THE CROWN MEETS THE ROOT ARE USUALLY DAMAGED IN TEETH THIS LARGE BUT NO SUCH DAMAGE IS HERE MAKING THIS REALLY AN EXCEPTIONAL SPECIMEN.
|
|
GRADE 10 RARE CHAMPAGNE GOLD LATE EVOLVED 5.25 INCH MEGALODON SHARK TOOTH St. Mary's River, Georgia, U.S.A. PLIOCENE PERIOD: 5.3 - 1.81 million years ago This is the quality of Megalodon tooth that so many dealers boast of having for such bargain prices but you never can find the teeth they brag about. All you see is the typical run-of-the-mill stuff that will always be available - average, bland teeth that simply lack any real attraction. It is the sum of many subtleties in a fossil specimen (and in all rare collectibles, for that matter) that really puts it in a class that far exceeds what is usually offered. Such is the case with this tooth. Specimens of this caliber will always carry a premium compared to the pricing of the much more common varieties yet, it is this top quality that is most promising when it comes to future appreciation of value as there are far more collectors wanting this grade than such teeth available. This is a giant 5.25 inch Megalodon tooth that has so many positive features. The overall condition is easily considered a Grade 10 which is the highest grade for teeth. Teeth that reach the magic mark of 5 inches (THIS ONE EXCEEDS IT) are usually in horrible condition. This tooth defies that and has preserved features that are considered rare on teeth in ANY size. This splendid monster tooth has some of the finest gold reflective champagne enamel you could ever ask for. It is hard to describe but is an uncommon hue. There is even misting of red copper tones on the lingual side off one edge! The serrations are exquisite and butcher-saw sharp all the way down BOTH sides to the base of the crown where it meets the root. In teeth this large, usually this area is broken or damaged. See the above close-up photos for this rare feature! The root is very dense and fully intact. Bourlette is present and matches the rest of the crown in color. This huge rare tooth has only one blemish in a sea of beautiful traits - there is a small natural feeding wear nick on the very tip, caused when this 65 + foot shark was still alive. With so much else going for it, this is a minor detraction and is easily overlooked in light of the complete specimen at hand. Beyond that, this Megalodon tooth offers an excellent opportunity for an advanced collector to augment their collection with a tooth from what is believed to be the last surviving Megalodon sharks based on this tooth's physiology. The tiny upturned nibs on either side of the root where the crown ends are theorized to be a diagnostic trait unique to large teeth of this period of Megalodon existence. For a tooth in this size category, most collectors are willing to sacrifice considerably in quality of preservation. Not so with this example. This is one huge, heavy and investment-grade specimen. Of course, this specimen has absolutely NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. This is an UPPER JAW tooth and would have been positioned at the front of the jaw. At the front of the jaw, the slender lower teeth served to hold any unfortunate animal in the shark's mouth as the broad upper teeth would bite down and shear off large chunks of flesh much in the same way a fork holds steak as the knife does the cutting. This tooth was found in a protective clay and gravel layer hence its highly unusual and fine condition for a river tooth. 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. While we strictly avoid teeth with restoration or repair, caveat emptor as many teeth in dealers' inventories in this size class have SOME restoration and/or repair. This is rarely disclosed or detected through ignorance, dishonesty or simple lack of vigilance on the sellers behalf.
At a length of 52 feet and weighing in excess of 60 tons, Carcharocles 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 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. Fossil teeth have been found in excess of 7 inches in length! Megalodon teeth are similar in geometry to the modern White Shark and scientists are still passionately divided on the origin of the two species and if megalodon is related to the modern white shark. It is also not fully understood why this giant killer became extinct but we can all be glad it is. A day at the beach just wouldn't be what it is today! GRADE 10 OF STUNNING COLOR - GIANT TOOTH FROM A MEGALODON THAT EXCEEDED 65 FEET IN LENGTH! 5.25" in length on the diagonal edge x 4.2" wide SOLD SH6-075 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
|
1650 |
