Megalodon Teeth

Two fossilized teeth from a megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon) dating back more than 20 million years. The ancestry of great white sharks has long been debated, but by looking closer at shark teeth scientists know that the giant megatooth shark was not an ancestor of the great white shark. More about the great white shark can be found in our Great White Shark featured story.

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Fossils of teeth from Giant Megatooth Shark
© Lollo Enstad/San Diego Natural History Museum

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Comments

Megalodon tooth

I have two Megalodon teeth, but mine are a dark color, almost black. I thought that all fossil teeth were of a darker tone... Guess I learned something today.

Submitted by JB (not verified) on Fri, 04/19/2013 - 10:25pm.

I THINK THAT GREAT WHITE IS

I THINK THAT GREAT WHITE IS NOT THE KING OF THE OCEAN BECOUSE WHEN I READ A BOOK ABOUT SHARKS 10000000 YEARS AGO THE MEGALADON WAS THE KING OF THE SEAS ITS ABOUT 50FEET LONG AND 40 TO 50 TONS AND A T REX A TREX IS 45 FEET LONG AND IS 4 TO 7 TONS AND THE GREAT WHITE IS UP TO 18 FEET LONG AND IT IS UPTO 5 TO 6 TONS A DAY AND THATS WHY GREAT WHITE IS NOT THE KING.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 05/10/2010 - 8:56pm.

Great comment! The megladon

Great comment! The megladon truly was an impressive top predator that grew up to 50 feet (over 15 meters) long and cruised the seas during the Miocene period (roughly 5 million to 23 million years ago). The modern great white shark is much smaller, but still a very skilled predator. Visit our Ocean Over Time section to learn more about the megladon and other amazing Top Predators of prehistoric times.

Submitted by Ocean Portal Team on Wed, 05/12/2010 - 12:36pm.

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