Shark Teeth Fossils

Considered among the most awesome of aquatic predators, the shark strikes fear in the hearts of many with an iconic tooth-studded jaw. Fossilized shark teeth for sale are all the more amazing as they serve as a reminder of the most ancient ancestry of the shark.

The earliest shark appeared during the Devonian period, the portion of the Paleozoic era during which many marine creatures emerged. Thought to descend from Placoderms, a larger family of fish known for their armored, skeletal exterior, the shark soon became a prevalent presence as it evolved into increasingly specialized form.

Fossilized shark teeth are the best-preserved reflection of this prehistoric legacy and also reveal how little shark teeth have changed over many millennia. Formed over thousands of years as mineral deposits seeped into the pores of the tooth to transform it into a petrified form, shark teeth fossils are cherished collector's items for fossil fans and maritime collectors alike.

Quick Facts

• Only teeth remain of prehistoric sharks because their skeletons, similar to their modern day kin, were made of mostly of cartilage and thus broke down too quickly to adequately fossilize
• One of the earliest sharks was the Cladoselache, which shared some of the features of the modern day shark yet was smaller and was devoid of placoid scales
• Fossilized shark teeth take on different shades depending on surrounding sediment in which the tooth is buried and the minerals that infiltrate its pores. Brown shark teeth fossils, for example, suggest the presence of iron