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LARGE RARE YELLOW SUMMERVILLE MEGALODON TOOTH Summerville - Hawthorn Formation - Dorchester County, South Carolina MIDDLE MIOCENE PERIOD: 15 million years ago This super rare and very large Megalodon shark tooth comes from a famous land site that is unique to producing these very light, rare colored teeth. Fossil Megalodon teeth from Summerville, South Carolina come from the Hawthorn Formation dating back to the Middle Miocene Period, approximately 15 million years ago. Fine quality teeth in ANY size from this site are considered true prizes amongst fossil shark teeth collectors as most teeth found in Summerville are pitted, poorly preserved and rotted lacking the necessary environment needed to solidly mineralize fossil teeth in most instances. The damp soil of this land site along with the numerous invasive roots of ground vegetation have proven to be a far inferior environment in preserving fossil shark teeth compared to clay or gravel deposits of rivers. This beautiful specimen is amazingly rare for two reasons: it is heavily mineralized which is highly uncommon for Summerville and it is very large for such a fine quality example from any source. With respect to the usual damaged teeth found in Summerville this tooth cannot be compared and is very heavy and solid. This tooth came from the very front of the upper jaw of a massive (over 50 feet long) and old Megalodon shark, the teeth most often used to slice large chunks of flesh off its prey. The dramatic and exaggerated root lobes are indicative of the shark's size and age as well as give testament to the necessary deep roots needed to support these front slicing teeth under the enormous pressure and force of the shark's bite. Enamel is a beautiful golden cream, accenting the deep golden bourlette. Serrations are present but exhibit feeding wear. A couple of light nicks to the cutting edges and tip do not detract as natural feeding damage is expected on such a large predator. Absolutely NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. An extreme rarity from an already rare source. This tooth came from a 20+ year private collection of a major U.S. diver for fossil Megalodon teeth. The tooth was self-collected decades ago when the source used to produce a few teeth of this caliber. This is not the case any more. This specimen represents not only a beautiful and rare fossil but a solid investment in today's rapidly appreciating investment fossil market.
ULTRA-RARE SUMMERVILLE TOOTH IN THIS STATE OF PRESERVATION AND SIZE!!! INVESTMENT! 5.3" in length on the diagonal edge x 3.9" wide SOLD SH695 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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1995 |
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!