Massive triangular crown, regular serrations, thick root and often a visible bourlette between crown and root.
Large size alone is not enough. Broken roots, juvenile teeth and worn serrations can make megalodon overlap with other otodontids.
01
ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE
Front, edge and jaw position.
02
IDENTIFICATION TRAITS
What to inspect.
- Crown shape
- Broad triangle
- Cutting edge
- Fine serrations or Coarse serrations
- Side cusplets
- No side cusplets
- Root
- Deep V-shaped root or Wide / nearly flat root
- Reference tooth height
- About 45–180 mm, depending on age and jaw position
- Jaw variation
- Anterior teeth are tall and symmetrical; laterals broaden and become oblique.
03
ECOLOGY + SCALE
The shark behind the tooth.
- Habitat
- Warm temperate to tropical coastal and offshore seas worldwide.
- Diet
- Large marine mammals, fishes and other sharks.
- Estimated shark size
- Most evidence-based reconstructions cluster around 15–18 m (49–59 ft), with larger claims more uncertain.
- Bite force
- About 108,000–182,000 N in one scaled biomechanical model—not a direct measurement. Research source ↗
- Fossil occurrence
- Miocene–Pliocene teeth are widespread in marine deposits on several continents.
- Time range
- Miocene–Pliocene, about 20–3.6 million years ago
04
FUNCTION
Form follows feeding.
Adult teeth are robust and usually lack the side cusplets seen in earlier megatooth sharks. The root is much thicker than on a similarly shaped white-shark tooth.
05
LOOKALIKES
Do not stop at the first match.
LivingGreat white sharkFlat, broad triangular blade with coarse serrations and no lateral cusplets.Compare visual profile →ExtinctOtodus obliquusLarge smooth triangular main crown with a prominent cusplet on each side and a heavy root.Compare visual profile →ExtinctBroad-toothed makoBroad, flat triangular crown like a white shark—but with completely smooth cutting edges.Compare visual profile →
06
DIRECT COMPARISONS
Put it beside its closest rival.
AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE
Open source ↗Smithsonian Ocean
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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