TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Longfin makotooth identification

Smooth, narrow lamnid tooth; generally broader and less strongly flexed than comparable shortfin-mako teeth.

LivingIsurus paucusLiving; fossil occurrence is sparse
FIELD VERDICT

Smooth, narrow lamnid tooth; generally broader and less strongly flexed than comparable shortfin-mako teeth.

Body characters—not an isolated tooth—are usually needed to separate living longfin and shortfin makos confidently.

01

ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE

Front, edge and jaw position.

FRONT / LABIAL VIEWEDGE / PROFILESMOOTH 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
Narrow dagger or Hooked blade
Cutting edge
Smooth edge
Side cusplets
No side cusplets
Root
Rounded U-shaped root or Two distinct root lobes
Reference tooth height
About 10–45 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Jaw variation
Anterior teeth are narrow; lateral teeth broaden, with heavy overlap with shortfin mako.
03

ECOLOGY + SCALE

The shark behind the tooth.

Habitat
Tropical and warm-temperate offshore waters.
Diet
Pelagic fishes and squid.
Estimated shark size
Commonly 2.2–3 m (7–10 ft); confirmed maximums are uncertain.
Bite force
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Fossil occurrence
Sparse; isolated Isurus teeth may not be species-identifiable.
Time range
Living; fossil occurrence is sparse
04

FUNCTION

Form follows feeding.

Upper and lower teeth differ by position and overlap heavily with shortfin mako. An isolated tooth rarely supports a confident species-level mako identification.

05

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

LivingShortfin makoSlender, smooth-edged crown that often flexes or curves, with no side cusplets.Compare visual profile →LivingCommon thresherRelatively small, smooth, compressed blade that becomes oblique in lateral positions.Compare visual profile →
06

DIRECT COMPARISONS

Put it beside its closest rival.

TOOTH VS TOOTHShortfin mako versus Longfin makoOpen 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.

Start a ranked identification →