Small central cusp bordered by two smaller cusplets on a compact broad base.
Carpet-shark teeth overlap strongly; associated jaws or provenance may be needed.
01
ORIGINAL VISUAL PLATE
Front, edge and jaw position.
02
IDENTIFICATION TRAITS
What to inspect.
- Crown shape
- Several cusps
- Cutting edge
- Smooth edge
- Side cusplets
- One on each side
- Root
- Wide / nearly flat root
- Reference tooth height
- About 3–14 mm, depending on age and jaw position
- Jaw variation
- Small central cusps and lateral cusplets repeat in both jaws.
03
ECOLOGY + SCALE
The shark behind the tooth.
- Habitat
- Indo-Pacific coral reefs and sandy bottoms.
- Diet
- Mollusks, crustaceans, small fishes and sea snakes.
- Estimated shark size
- Usually 2–2.5 m (6.5–8 ft).
- Bite force
- No reliable species-specific value is established; bite force changes with body size and bite point.
- Fossil occurrence
- Carpet-shark teeth occur, but isolated species attribution is difficult.
- Time range
- Living; fossil record sparse
04
FUNCTION
Form follows feeding.
Numerous small teeth help grip mollusks, crustaceans and small fishes that are drawn from reef crevices.
05
LOOKALIKES
Do not stop at the first match.
LivingNurse sharkSmall tooth with a central cusp flanked by several smaller cusplets on a broad base.Compare visual profile →LivingWhitetip reef sharkNarrow central cusp flanked by small side cusplets; edges are smooth to weakly serrated.Compare visual profile →RELATED FORMWobbegongUse jaw position, locality, age and associated teeth to test this lookalike.
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DIRECT COMPARISONS
Put it beside its closest rival.
AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE
Open source ↗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.
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