Small tooth with a central cusp flanked by several smaller cusplets on a broad base.
Small teeth are easily damaged or mismeasured; a close macro photograph is especially important.
01
IDENTIFICATION TRAITS
What to inspect.
- Crown shape
- Several cusps or Flat / crushing
- Cutting edge
- Smooth edge
- Side cusplets
- Several smaller cusps
- Root
- Wide / nearly flat root
- Reference height
- roughly 3–14 mm, depending on age and jaw position
- Time
- Living; fossil teeth also occur
02
WHY IT LOOKS THIS WAY
Form follows feeding.
The teeth form a pavement suited to gripping and crushing small prey rather than slicing large prey.
03
LOOKALIKES
Do not stop at the first match.
ExtinctHybodusOne central cusp with several smaller lateral cusps arranged on a broad base.Compare profile →RELATED FORMOther carpet sharksUse locality, age and associated teeth to separate this lookalike.
PRIMARY / AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE
Open source ↗Florida Museum
Use the source alongside collection locality and geologic age. A photograph alone cannot establish provenance.
HAVE A TOOTH TO CHECK?
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