TOOTH PROFILE / LIVING

Shortfin makotooth identification

Slender, smooth-edged crown that often flexes or curves, with no side cusplets.

LivingIsurus oxyrinchusLiving; fossil teeth also occur
FIELD VERDICT

Slender, smooth-edged crown that often flexes or curves, with no side cusplets.

A single worn tooth may be difficult to separate from extinct makos, threshers and some sand-tiger relatives.

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 12–52 mm, depending on age and jaw position
Jaw variation
Anterior teeth are slender and flexed; laterals become broader and flatter.
03

ECOLOGY + SCALE

The shark behind the tooth.

Habitat
Temperate and tropical offshore waters worldwide.
Diet
Fast fishes, squid and occasionally other sharks or marine mammals.
Estimated shark size
Commonly 2–3.2 m (6.5–10.5 ft); exceptional individuals are larger.
Bite force
No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
Fossil occurrence
Fossil teeth are reported, but isolated teeth may only be identifiable to genus or family.
Time range
Living; fossil teeth also occur
04

FUNCTION

Form follows feeding.

Anterior teeth are long and narrow; lateral teeth become broader and more blade-like. Roots are strongly bilobed.

05

LOOKALIKES

Do not stop at the first match.

ExtinctBroad-toothed makoBroad, flat triangular crown like a white shark—but with completely smooth cutting edges.Compare visual profile →LivingCommon thresherRelatively small, smooth, compressed blade that becomes oblique in lateral positions.Compare visual profile →LivingGoblin sharkTall, narrow, smooth-edged teeth with longitudinal grooves; front teeth are especially slender and fang-like.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.

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