Large triangular lower teeth lock into a saw-like band; tiny upper teeth act mainly as hooks.
Loose lower teeth are distinctive as a group but can lose their original position after separation.
01
ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE
Front, edge and jaw position.
02
IDENTIFICATION TRAITS
What to inspect.
- Crown shape
- Broad triangle or Narrow dagger
- Cutting edge
- Smooth edge
- Side cusplets
- No side cusplets
- Root
- Wide / nearly flat root
- Reference tooth height
- About 3–14 mm, depending on age and jaw position
- Jaw variation
- Tiny upper hooks contrast with oversized interlocking lower blades.
03
ECOLOGY + SCALE
The shark behind the tooth.
- Habitat
- Tropical and subtropical deep ocean, migrating upward at night.
- Diet
- Tissue plugs from large fishes and marine mammals, plus squid and small prey.
- Estimated shark size
- Usually 0.4–0.55 m (16–22 in).
- Bite force
- No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
- Fossil occurrence
- Rare small teeth and connected lower tooth rows occur in younger deposits.
- Time range
- Living; fossil occurrence uncommon
04
FUNCTION
Form follows feeding.
The lower row is shed as a connected unit and removes plugs of tissue by suction and twisting.
05
LOOKALIKES
Do not stop at the first match.
LivingGreenland sharkSmall narrow upper teeth and broader, strongly oblique lower teeth that form a continuous cutting edge.Compare visual profile →RELATED FORMKitefin sharkUse jaw position, locality, age and associated teeth to test this lookalike.
AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE
Open source ↗Florida Museum
The visual plate is original TuffShark artwork and is not copied from the reference. Use the source alongside formation age, locality and associated material.
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