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MEGALODON TOOTH - Bone Valley Formation - Central Florida, U.S. MIOCENE to PLIOCENE PERIOD: 23.3 - 1.81 million years ago From the famous Bone Valley Formation of Central Florida, U.S., this incredible fossil tooth is of the famous, giant Carcharocles megalodon shark. Megalodon teeth from Bone Valley are considered to be the most beautiful in the world. Compared to the ugly black and dark brown crud-stained Meg teeth found in rivers, Bone Valley specimens have white or very light roots and enamel in a spectacular rainbow of colors. This is a result of the unique chemistry of the sediments in Bone Valley. Bone Valley is off limits to collecting and has been for many years. Quality teeth from this locality are the most promising for rapid appreciation in value and are becoming nearly non-existent in the market today. As rare as nice Megalodon teeth from Bone Valley are, the yellow variety are amongst the rarest of all from this region. The part of the mine that they are found is no longer operational and most of the land of that area has been reclaimed which means a permanent end to any future mining there. This remarkable tooth is not the largest specimen but it is certainly rare in many ways. It is an anterior lower jaw tooth and is nearly perfect. The tip has only the tiniest nick and is fully present with a very sharp point. This feature alone is amazing as Bone Valley teeth are known for their worn or broken tips caused by feeding damage. This tooth must have fallen out of the jaw shortly after emerging as a primary tooth as there is only the slightest of feeding wear on small portions of serrations. The root is complete and the bourlette, a stunning WHITE, is 95% intact! The enamel still glistens and is a warm butter golden yellow. There is no repair and no restoration to this specimen. Megalodon teeth tend to run smaller from Bone Valley and it is theorized that this warm shallow marine environment rich in food source was a nursery for the Carcharocles megalodon shark. The larger adults would not have been able to swim into the shallow water and there was an abundance of small whales in the area. The fact that these fossil teeth run smaller than the bigger, black river specimens in no way detracts from their value. Bone Valley specimens are very rare and highly-prized by collectors. A megalodon tooth from Bone Valley is simply the most beautiful fossil tooth of this extinct monster one can acquire.
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. TOOTH IS BETTER THAN SHOWS IN IMAGES - RARE ANTERIOR LOWER GOLDEN SPECIMEN! 2.15" in length on the diagonal edge x 1.25" wide SOLD SH640 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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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!