These teeth overlap in both broad form and edge treatment. Root proportions, jaw position, size, age and locality must carry more weight than silhouette alone.
Narrow, erect upper cusp with fine serrations and a broader base; lower teeth are slimmer and more upright.
Slim triangular teeth; uppers are finely serrated while lowers are narrow and usually smoother.
Narrow dagger / Broad triangle
Narrow dagger / Broad triangle
Fine serrations
Fine serrations
No side cusplets
No side cusplets
Two distinct root lobes / Wide / nearly flat root
Two distinct root lobes / Wide / nearly flat root
6–25 mm reference range
6–25 mm reference range
Upper teeth are broader and serrated; lower teeth are narrow and erect.
Uppers are finely serrated; lowers are narrow and mostly smooth.
Warm coastal waters, bays and island shelves.
Warm coastal and shelf waters, often near schooling fishes.
Schooling fishes, small sharks, rays and crustaceans.
Small schooling fishes, squid and crustaceans.
Usually 1.5–2.2 m (5–7 ft).
Usually 1.6–2.4 m (5–8 ft).
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Fossil teeth are reported, but isolated teeth may only be identifiable to genus or family.
Fossil teeth are reported, but isolated teeth may only be identifiable to genus or family.
Blacktip and spinner teeth overlap substantially and commonly warrant a combined identification.
A single tooth generally cannot separate spinner from blacktip with confidence.
Illustrations are original TuffShark diagrams, not photographs taken from either reference.
KEEP COMPARING