Megalodon Tooth
Otodus megalodon
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
The tooth every beachcomber hopes for. Massive, triangular and unmistakable.
- Typical size
- 3 to 7 inches
- How often it turns up
- Rare
- Collecting
- Usually legal to collect
- Handling
- Sharp edges
Florida needs no fossil permit for shark teeth, but state parks, national seashores and wildlife refuges don't allow collecting, and private land needs the owner's permission.
Serrated edges are still sharp.
How to tell it apart
- Broad triangular blade; tooth size varies
- Visible chevron-shaped bourlette above the root
- Fine serrations along both edges
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for shark teeth. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Caspersen Beach · Venice
- Englewood Beach (Chadwick Park) · Englewood
- Fort Clinch State Park · Fernandina Beach
- Lighthouse Point Park · Ponce Inlet
- Stump Pass Beach State Park · Englewood
- Turner Beach · Captiva
- Venice Beach · Venice
- Amelia Island State Park · Amelia Island
- Anastasia State Park · St. Augustine
- Bethune Beach · New Smyrna Beach
- Brohard Paw Park · Venice
- Crescent Beach · St. Augustine
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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Commonly confused with
Bull Shark ToothCarcharhinus leucas
A bull shark tooth is under an inch and a half with coarse basal serrations. Megalodon teeth are thicker, larger and show a distinct chevron bourlette.
Hastalis Shark ToothCarcharodon hastalis
Megalodon teeth are serrated with a dark band (bourlette) above the root; hastalis is smooth with none.
More shark teeth in the field guide
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