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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 Bone Valley Region of Central Florida, U.S., this spectacular fossil tooth is of the famous, giant Carcharodon 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 rainbow of colors. This is a result of the unique chemistry of the sediments in Bone Valley. Looking like it was created by a fashion designer for a safari collection, this remarkable megalodon tooth from Bone Valley features one of the most stunning color combinations we've ever seen. The enamel is a glossy mix of olive and grass greens, the bourlette is an intense saddle buckskin leather hue, and the root is a very light khaki tan. This tooth exhibits the classic feeding wear known for this region and the root has nicks on the lobes but if you collect rare teeth and especially rare color combinations, this faults will pale in comparison to the overall beauty of this magnificent specimen. We highly recommend this example for its ultra-rare color combo as it is the only one we have ever encountered. Tooth is completely natural and as found with no repair or restoration. A masterpiece of natural history! 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 Carcharodon 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. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND RAREST COLOR COMBINATIONS WE HAVE EVER SEEN! 1.75" in length on the diagonal edge SOLD SH648 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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At
a length of 52 feet and weighing in excess of 60 tons, Carcharodon
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!