Description
This tooth belonged to a Carcharocles megalodon which was the apex predator of its time and is considered to be the largest carnivorous sea predator to have ever existed. The oldest remains of this species are about 18 million years old. It became extinct in the Pleistocene period about 1.5 million years ago. Carcharocles megalodon may have reached 60 ft in length, it had a mouth full of razor sharp serrated teeth that reached 7.5" in length. Megalodon had 276 teeth in 5 rows and like today's sharks they shed their teeth throughout their lifetime. It is estimated that an average megalodon shark would have shed in excess of 20,000 teeth over the course of its lifetime.
This large megalodon tooth is massive. It has been slightly repaired mainly where it was cracked. It features razor sharp serration, and great enamel, and color. These teeth are excavated by farmers in limestone formations in the forests of Tasikmalaya Area of West Java, Indonesia.
Dimensions: 6" L x 4.25" W
Provenance: Java, Indonesia
Age: Miocene-pliocene period: 23-1.8 MYA
Type: Actual specimen- one only
