The strongest separator is overall crown shape. Confirm it against the root and jaw-position notes before naming an isolated tooth.
A strongly curved, can-opener profile with a deep outer notch and compound serrations.
Upper teeth are broad, dramatically hooked and coarsely serrated; lowers are narrower with hooked tips.
Deeply notched blade
Hooked blade / Broad triangle
Coarse serrations / Uneven / mixed serrations
Coarse serrations
No side cusplets
No side cusplets
Wide / nearly flat root / Two distinct root lobes
Two distinct root lobes / Wide / nearly flat root
10–40 mm reference range
12–48 mm reference range
Upper and lower teeth share the same deeply notched can-opener design.
Broad hooked serrated uppers differ sharply from narrow lower fangs.
Tropical and warm-temperate coasts, reefs, shelves and open water.
Ancient warm coastal and shelf seas.
Fishes, turtles, rays, seabirds, marine mammals and carrion.
Fishes, rays, sharks and marine mammals inferred from tooth form and associations.
Usually 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft); the largest verified animals are larger.
Commonly reconstructed around 3–5 m (10–16 ft), with uncertainty.
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Not directly measurable; no defensible species-specific value is used here.
Galeocerdo teeth are common in Neogene marine deposits.
Common in Oligocene–Pleistocene marine deposits, especially as isolated teeth.
Heavy wear can erase the small secondary serrations, but the hooked, notched silhouette usually remains diagnostic.
Without knowing upper versus lower position, this species can score alongside tiger or requiem sharks.
Illustrations are original TuffShark diagrams, not photographs taken from either reference.
KEEP COMPARING