The strongest separator is overall crown shape. Confirm it against the root and jaw-position notes before naming an isolated tooth.
Flat, broad triangular blade with coarse serrations and no lateral cusplets.
A strongly curved, can-opener profile with a deep outer notch and compound serrations.
Broad triangle
Deeply notched blade
Coarse serrations
Coarse serrations / Uneven / mixed serrations
No side cusplets
No side cusplets
Deep V-shaped root / Wide / nearly flat root
Wide / nearly flat root / Two distinct root lobes
18–76 mm reference range
10–40 mm reference range
Upper teeth are broad cutting triangles; lower teeth are narrower and more erect.
Upper and lower teeth share the same deeply notched can-opener design.
Temperate and subtropical coastal and offshore waters.
Tropical and warm-temperate coasts, reefs, shelves and open water.
Fishes, rays, seals, sea lions and carrion; diet changes with age.
Fishes, turtles, rays, seabirds, marine mammals and carrion.
Large adults commonly 4–5 m (13–16 ft); exceptional individuals exceed 6 m.
Usually 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft); the largest verified animals are larger.
Up to about 18,000 N predicted for a very large individual in a computer model—not measured in a living shark.
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Teeth occur from the Pliocene to Recent and may be mineral stained.
Galeocerdo teeth are common in Neogene marine deposits.
Position in the jaw changes the outline substantially. Fossil great-white teeth may be dark or mineral stained.
Heavy wear can erase the small secondary serrations, but the hooked, notched silhouette usually remains diagnostic.
Illustrations are original TuffShark diagrams, not photographs taken from either reference.
KEEP COMPARING