Large Anterior Otodus Shark Tooth, Morocco

Description: This is a fine example of a anterior tooth from the extinct mackerel shark Otodus obliquus coming from the Paleocene-Eocene portion of the phosphate bed deposits near Khouribga, Morocco. These sharks are thought to be one of the oldest progenitors of what was to be Carcharodon (or Charcharocles) megalodon. Notice the sidecusps and fine authentic root (not a composite of ground up roots of lesser specimens as are sometimes offered). This one can be distinguished as an anterior tooth because of its straight shape, well suited for grabbing onto slippery prey. Many fossils from the region are an outgrowth of the phosphate mining industry. One of the suppliers of this material described for me the mad scramble that ensues when a section of wall is dynamited. The locals move in swiftly, collecting the fossils exposed before the earth moving equipment arrives. Pieces such as this are the result of those efforts.