Otodus obliquus (1) Fossil Giant Mako Shark's Tooth Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Otodontidae

Description

Origin : Morocco (Khouribga)

Geological era : Early Eocene

Age : 55 million of years

Size : 4.9 gr - cm 3.9

Otodus obliquus cm 3.9 Fossil Giant Mako Mackerel Shark's Tooth Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Otodontidae, only a piece, partially restored, as in photos.
Measures: diagonal cm 3.9, height cm 3.8, width root base cm 2.5, weight 4.9 gr.
Also available as a pendant or in a plexiglas box, at this link.

Otodus obliquus or Lamna obliqua is a species of Mako Shark of Otodontidae family that lived from the late Paleocene and Miocene, between 20 and 60 million years ago. The name Otodus comes from the greek ὠτ (oûs "ear") and ὀδούς, "odous (tooth)", or "ear-shaped tooth."
Like all sharks its skeleton was cartilaginous and therefore all that hath been preserved are a few fossilized olocentric vertebrae typical Elasmobranch, and teeth, found mostly in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and even in Japan, proving that it had a worldwide distribution.
The teeth of this shark are quite large with triangular shaped crown, sharp and smooth, with spiers visible on the roots. Some Otodus teeth also show signs of indentations evolving.
Currently, almost all the teeth of this huge shark come from phosphate mines in Morocco in the Khouribga region. They have mostly triangular shape, are wide (up to 8-10 cm) with smooth and sharp edges and are present one or more lateral cusps.
Fossils of Otodus indicate that it was a super-predator, the size of which is supposed to arrive up to 10 m in length and 15 tons in weight.
His prey were probably consist of large marine mammals, sharks and other bony fish.
Scientists have speculated, by some transition teeth, which Otodus was the ancestor of the genus Carcharocles (it is still controversial whether synonymous of Carcharodon), including the famous C. megalodon up to 15 meters long and 30 tons in weight, which it has evolved up to the current white shark Carcharodon carcharias (for others it had a parallel evolution).