The largest megalodon tooth measures around 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) in length, which is almost three times longer than those of great white sharks. That giant size led ancient peoples to theorize about the creatures' origins.
As megalodons are extinct, the value of the biggest fossil teeth can be very high : a 7 inch megalodon tooth can easily reach $1.000. Some megalodon teeth have been restored, some other can be found with no restoration.
Megalodon jaws
It is estimated that its jaw would span 2.7 by 3.4 metres wide, easily big enough to swallow two adult people side-by-side. These jaws were lined with 276 teeth, and studies reconstructing the shark's bite force suggest that it may have been one of the most powerful predators ever to have existed.
One of the ways to know you have found a real megalodon tooth is if it's substantially bigger than a large shark tooth. Megalodon tooth fossils tend to range between 3 and 5 inches in length, with the largest found being over 7 inches long.
What is the largest shark tooth ever found? The largest shark tooth ever discovered has a slant height of 7.48 inches (18.9 cm) and belongs to a megalodon. It was found fragmented in the Ocucaje desert of Peru by Craig Sundell. After being discovered, the tooth was glued and measured.
Although Megalodon teeth are frequently discovered, a full megalodon jaw has never been discovered. Saltwater breaks down cartilage, so all megalodon jaws have likely dissolved.
It's thought that megalodon sharks became extinct in part due to climate change: as oceans grew colder, they may not have been able to regulate their temperatures as needed. Lack of prey could be behind the megalodon's extinction, as many marine animals and fish could not survive the cold temperatures.
Examine the tooth
Real shark teeth have imperfections, whereas a fake plastic shark tooth may feel smooth and perfect. Fake teeth are often made from plastic, porcelain, glass, metal and rubber, and are manufactured to replicate the look, but occasionally the feel, of real shark teeth.
A tooth will fall out of a shark's mouth and is buried in the ocean floor. This will naturally preserve the tooth, keeping it safe from oxygen and bacteria that can lead to decomposition. The dark colors of a shark tooth fossil come from absorbing minerals found in the ground around them.
There is a huge variation in price depending on many factors including size, quality, where they were collected, etc. While a small or low quality tooth might cost less than $50, large, collector-quality teeth can quickly run into the thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.
The second biggest shark in the world is the basking shark
While they don't get quite as large as whale sharks, the largest one ever reliably measured was 12.27 metres or just over 40 feet long. This is enough to net them the title of the world's second-largest shark.
June 22 (UPI) -- Megalodons, believed to be the largest species of shark that ever lived, were big enough to eat just about any animal they wanted -- and were possibly cannibalistic -- scientists say in a study published Wednesday.
In the world of Megalodon specimens, it is extremely rare to discover Megalodon teeth reaching 6" without compromising the preservation.
Maryland girl finds ancient tooth from a 50-foot-long megalodon in the Chesapeake Bay. Part of Molly Sampson's shark tooth collection – including the tooth of a megalodon from some 15 million years ago (left) – sits on display on Jan. 11.
Though shark teeth are bountiful, you may not find one quickly or even on your first time out. So just enjoy your time on the beach, and if you start to get frustrated, think about how fun it will be to tell the story about how you found a shark's tooth after some hard hunting.
Also, you probably won't be able to break it as shark teeth are very strong. With over 60-miles of uninterrupted shoreline, you can walk for miles and miles exploring a variety of beaches in search of shark's teeth to take home as your souvenir!
Although they're extinct, specimens of Megalodon teeth, both genuine fossils and replicas, are available to collect. How old are Megalodons? These sharks have been extinct for at least 2.6 million years.
The serrations are RAZOR SHARP and it has a killer tip to it.
Although the largest teeth from megalodon are a little over 7 inches, A more common size for megalodon teeth is between 3 and 5 inches.
Megalodons are extinct. They died out about 3.5 million years ago.
Current estimates say that the megalodon officially went extinct around 3.6 million years ago during the early Pliocene period, although it could have been a little bit after when the last stragglers officially died off.
Megalodon, the biggest shark that ever lived, may have been killed off thanks to the success of the great white, new research suggests. A study of elemental traces in their teeth implies the huge sea monster faced competition for resources from its smaller and more nimble rival, say scientists.