TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Great hammerheadtooth identification

Triangular, strongly serrated crown that becomes increasingly oblique toward the jaw corners.

LivingSphyrna mokarranLiving; fossil teeth also occur
FIELD VERDICT

Triangular, strongly serrated crown that becomes increasingly oblique toward the jaw corners.

Large requiem-shark teeth can be nearly indistinguishable without a known jaw position or associated teeth.

01

ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE

Front, edge and jaw position.

FRONT / LABIAL VIEWEDGE / PROFILECOARSE EDGEPOSITION CHANGES SHAPE● ANTERIOR● LATERALTUFFSHARK ORIGINAL TOOTH PLATEDIAGRAMMATIC · NOT TO SCALE
Original TuffShark vector illustration. Trait emphasis is diagrammatic; it is not a specimen photograph or a substitute for an associated jaw.
02

IDENTIFICATION TRAITS

What to inspect.

Crown shape
Broad triangle or Hooked blade
Cutting edge
Coarse serrations
Side cusplets
No side cusplets
Root
Two distinct root lobes or Wide / nearly flat root
Reference tooth height
About 8–32 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Jaw variation
Front teeth are more erect; lateral teeth are strongly oblique and serrated.
03

ECOLOGY + SCALE

The shark behind the tooth.

Habitat
Tropical coastal and offshore waters, reefs and continental shelves.
Diet
Rays, fishes, crustaceans and other sharks.
Estimated shark size
Commonly 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft); maximum reports approach 6 m.
Bite force
No direct species-wide value; comparative models should not be presented as a measured bite.
Fossil occurrence
Hammerhead teeth occur in Neogene deposits, often with uncertain species assignment.
Time range
Living; fossil teeth also occur
04

FUNCTION

Form follows feeding.

Front teeth can look fairly erect while lateral teeth lean backward. A wide root and strong serrations fit many hammerhead teeth.

05

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

LivingBull sharkBroad, heavily serrated upper tooth or a narrower lower tooth with finer serrations.Compare visual profile →LivingSandbar sharkBroad, serrated high-cusped upper teeth; narrower and more finely serrated lowers.Compare visual profile →LivingOceanic whitetipBroad serrated upper tooth paired with a more pointed lower tooth serrated mainly near its tip.Compare visual profile →
06

DIRECT COMPARISONS

Put it beside its closest rival.

TOOTH VS TOOTHBull shark versus Great hammerheadOpen comparison →TOOTH VS TOOTHGreat hammerhead versus Scalloped hammerheadOpen comparison →
AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE

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.

Open source ↗
HAVE A TOOTH TO CHECK?

Put these traits into the identification flow.

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