Fossil Tapir Tooth
Tapirus veroensis
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A low, blocky Ice Age tooth with two sharp cross-ridges, from a tapir that once browsed Florida's river swamps.
- Typical size
- 1–1.5 in
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon
- Collecting
- Archaeological, leave in place
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Vertebrate fossils collected from state-owned land or waterways in Florida require a state fossil permit. Beach-found isolated teeth are a grey area — a permit is the safe route.
How to tell it apart
- Two prominent transverse ridges across the crown
- Squared, low-crowned shape
- Dark brown to black mineral staining
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.
Browsing beaches and the full field guide is free. A free account logs unlimited finds and gives you three photo identifications a day.
More fossils in the field guide
Get Florida beachcombing tips
Occasional emails: what's washing up, shelling tips and new BeachNut features. No spam, unsubscribe any time.