TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Lemon sharktooth guide

Narrow smooth-edged cusp with fine serrations mostly confined to the base on upper teeth.

LivingNegaprion brevirostrisLiving; fossil teeth also occur
FIELD VERDICT

Narrow smooth-edged cusp with fine serrations mostly confined to the base on upper teeth.

If the base is worn away, the subtle basal serrations disappear and the tooth can resemble several other requiem sharks.

01

IDENTIFICATION TRAITS

What to inspect.

Crown shape
Narrow dagger or Hooked blade
Cutting edge
Smooth edge or Fine serrations
Side cusplets
No side cusplets
Root
Two distinct root lobes
Reference height
roughly 830 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Time
Living; fossil teeth also occur
02

WHY IT LOOKS THIS WAY

Form follows feeding.

Lower teeth are narrow and smooth. Upper teeth become more oblique toward the corners of the mouth.

03

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

RELATED FORMBull shark lower toothUse locality, age and associated teeth to separate this lookalike.
RELATED FORMSandbar lower toothUse locality, age and associated teeth to separate this lookalike.
RELATED FORMSmall hammerheadsUse locality, age and associated teeth to separate this lookalike.
PRIMARY / AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE

Florida Museum

Use the source alongside collection locality and geologic age. A photograph alone cannot establish provenance.

Open source ↗
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Put these traits into the identifier.

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