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The Tooth of a Megalodon

Lot Closed

December 3, 07:23 PM GMT

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

The Tooth of a Megalodon 

Megaselachus megalodon

Early Pliocene (approx. 5 million years ago)

West Java, Indonesia


6 by 4 inches (15 x 9.5 cm).


A large tooth with intact serrations, a rusty brown bourlette, and an enamel with a patina of various tans and ivory. Surface erosion is present on the sand-colored root.

Megaselachus megalodon (formerly known as Carcharodon megalodon) was a giant prehistoric shark which roamed the open seas, armed with giant, serrated, razor-sharp teeth. The largest predatory shark to have ever lived, Megalodon was up to three times the size of its closest living relative, the modern great white shark. Because estimates are based solely on teeth and fragmentary vertebral remains, upper size limits of this apex carnivore range from 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 meters) in length, with estimated weights ranging between 20 and 60 tons.

 

Regardless of exact bodily dimensions, Megalodon ranks amongst the largest predators to ever grace the face of the Earth. With a name meaning "big tooth" and a bite force more than double that of a T. rex, it's no wonder that Megalodon is considered the greatest predatory fish of all time.