Name/Title
Megalodon (tooth)Entry/Object ID
2012.2.2Description
Description: Phylum: Chordata
Family: Lamnidae
Genus: Carcharodon
Common Name: Megalodon
Age: Cenozoic
Location: Aurora, North Carolina
Description: This a well preserved specimen with some surface cracks on the tooth as well as the base. The serated edges are still very well preserved. The color is a creamy tan tooth with a sandy gray base.
Physical Charateristics:
Megalodon ( /'m?g?l?d?n/ MEG-?-l?-don; meaning "big tooth", from Greek µ??a? (mega, "big") and ?d??? (odon, "tooth")) is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 28 to 1.5 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era (late Oligocene to early Pleistocene).
The taxonomic assignment of C. megalodon has been debated for nearly a century, and is still under dispute. The two major interpretations are Carcharodon megalodon (under family Lamnidae) or Carcharocles megalodon (under family Otodontidae).[1] Consequently, the scientific name of this species is commonly abbreviated C. megalodon in the literature.
C. megalodon is regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators in vertebrate history,[2] and likely had a profound impact on the structure of marine communities.[3] Fossil remains suggest that this giant shark reached a maximum length of 15.9–20.3 metres (52–67 ft),[2] and also affirm that it had a cosmopolitan distribution.[1] Scientists suggest that C. megalodon looked like a stockier version of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias.
Family: Lamnidae
Genus: Carcharodon
Class: Chondrichyes
Order: Lamniformes
Phylum: ChordataCollection
Mike Hammer Fossil CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2012.2Source or Donor
Mike HammerAcquisition Method
Long-term LoanOther Names and Numbers
Other Number
Other Number: MKH-4Dimensions
Width
4-1/4 inDepth
1-1/4 inLength
6 inLocation
Location
Display Case
FR-9Room
Fossil RoomBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
ExhibitDate
April 18, 2024
