TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Sand tiger sharktooth identification

Long, slender smooth-edged cusp with a small cusplet on each side and a two-lobed root.

LivingCarcharias taurusLiving; fossil teeth are common
FIELD VERDICT

Long, slender smooth-edged cusp with a small cusplet on each side and a two-lobed root.

Many extinct sand-tiger relatives look extremely similar and are difficult to separate without age and locality.

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
Cutting edge
Smooth edge
Side cusplets
One on each side
Root
Two distinct root lobes or Rounded U-shaped root
Reference tooth height
About 12–48 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Jaw variation
Tall anterior fangs grade into shorter lateral teeth; paired cusplets are common.
03

ECOLOGY + SCALE

The shark behind the tooth.

Habitat
Temperate and subtropical coastal waters, reefs and wrecks.
Diet
Bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squid and crustaceans.
Estimated shark size
Usually 2–3 m (6.5–10 ft).
Bite force
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Fossil occurrence
Sand-tiger-like teeth are abundant from the Paleogene onward; species assignment is difficult.
Time range
Living; fossil teeth are common
04

FUNCTION

Form follows feeding.

Anterior teeth look needle-like. Lateral teeth become shorter, but the smooth main cusp and paired side cusplets remain useful clues.

05

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

LivingGoblin sharkTall, narrow, smooth-edged teeth with longitudinal grooves; front teeth are especially slender and fang-like.Compare visual profile →ExtinctOtodus obliquusLarge smooth triangular main crown with a prominent cusplet on each side and a heavy root.Compare visual profile →
RELATED FORMSmall lamniform sharksUse jaw position, locality, age and associated teeth to test this lookalike.
06

DIRECT COMPARISONS

Put it beside its closest rival.

TOOTH VS TOOTHSand tiger shark versus Goblin sharkOpen 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 →