Relatively small, smooth, compressed blade that becomes oblique in lateral positions.
A confident single-tooth thresher identification usually needs locality, age or associated teeth.
01
IDENTIFICATION TRAITS
What to inspect.
- Crown shape
- Narrow dagger or Hooked blade
- Cutting edge
- Smooth edge
- Side cusplets
- No side cusplets
- Root
- Two distinct root lobes or Rounded U-shaped root
- Reference height
- roughly 8–32 mm, depending on age and jaw position
- Time
- Living; fossil teeth also occur
02
WHY IT LOOKS THIS WAY
Form follows feeding.
Thresher teeth are modest for the animal's body size and can overlap with makos and other lamniforms.
03
LOOKALIKES
Do not stop at the first match.
LivingShortfin makoSlender, smooth-edged crown that often flexes or curves, with no side cusplets.Compare profile →ExtinctBroad-toothed makoBroad, flat triangular crown like a white shark—but with completely smooth cutting edges.Compare profile →RELATED FORMSmall lamniformsUse locality, age and associated teeth to separate this lookalike.
PRIMARY / AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE
Open source ↗Florida Museum
Use the source alongside collection locality and geologic age. A photograph alone cannot establish provenance.
HAVE A TOOTH TO CHECK?
Start a ranked identification →