TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Sandbar sharktooth identification

Broad, serrated high-cusped upper teeth; narrower and more finely serrated lowers.

LivingCarcharhinus plumbeusLiving; fossil teeth also occur
FIELD VERDICT

Broad, serrated high-cusped upper teeth; narrower and more finely serrated lowers.

Isolated teeth overlap with many Carcharhinus species and often support only a genus-level identification.

01

ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE

Front, edge and jaw position.

FRONT / LABIAL VIEWEDGE / PROFILEFINE 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
Broad triangle or Narrow dagger
Cutting edge
Fine serrations or Coarse serrations
Side cusplets
No side cusplets
Root
Wide / nearly flat root or Two distinct root lobes
Reference tooth height
About 8–32 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Jaw variation
High-cusped serrated uppers; narrow finely serrated lowers.
03

ECOLOGY + SCALE

The shark behind the tooth.

Habitat
Warm-temperate and tropical shelves, bays and coastal waters.
Diet
Bony fishes, rays, small sharks, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Estimated shark size
Usually 1.8–2.4 m (6–8 ft).
Bite force
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Fossil occurrence
Carcharhinus teeth are common in younger marine deposits but species attribution is often tentative.
Time range
Living; fossil teeth also occur
04

FUNCTION

Form follows feeding.

Front teeth are more upright and symmetrical. Teeth become smaller and more oblique toward the jaw corners.

05

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

LivingBull sharkBroad, heavily serrated upper tooth or a narrower lower tooth with finer serrations.Compare visual profile →LivingOceanic whitetipBroad serrated upper tooth paired with a more pointed lower tooth serrated mainly near its tip.Compare visual profile →LivingGreat hammerheadTriangular, strongly serrated crown that becomes increasingly oblique toward the jaw corners.Compare visual profile →
06

DIRECT COMPARISONS

Put it beside its closest rival.

TOOTH VS TOOTHLemon shark versus Sandbar 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 →