Paleocarcharodon orientalis Fossil Shark Tooth, Morocco

Description: This shark has been commonly termed “pygmy great white” by some, but in fact is no ancestor to that extant taxon. It is however, a member of the same family, the Lamnidae. This fine specimen displays the characteristic serrations (Charcarodon means sharpened tooth in Greek) and the complex secondary cusplets that are typical of the species. Coming from the Khourigba Plateau in Morocco, it was found as an outgrowth of phosphate mining in the area. Given the rule of an inch of tooth for 10 feet of shark, this one came from an ~13 foot example.