Fossil Alligator Tooth
Alligator mississippiensis
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A blunt, conical tooth with a hollow base, rounder and stubbier than a shark tooth.
- Typical size
- 0.4–2 in
- How often it turns up
- Common
- Collecting
- Restricted
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Florida treats this as a vertebrate fossil: collecting one on state-owned land or water — including river bottoms and beaches below the high-tide line — needs a Florida Museum fossil permit. State parks and national seashores don't allow fossil collecting at all. If unsure, photograph it and leave it.
How to tell it apart
- Cone-shaped with a hollow open base
- Smooth enamel, faint vertical lines
- Dark brown to black when fossil
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for fossils. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Caspersen Beach · Venice
- Englewood Beach (Chadwick Park) · Englewood
- Stump Pass Beach State Park · Englewood
- Turner Beach · Captiva
- Turtle Beach · Siesta Key
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
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More fossils in the field guide
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