Name/Title
Megalodon (tooth)Entry/Object ID
2011.57.32Description
Description: Phylum: Chordata
Family: Lamnidae
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Lamniformes
Genus: Carcharodon
Common Name: Megalodon Tooth
Age: Oligocene
Location: Unknown
Description: Smaller version of the giant shark teeth. Very well preserved. Dark gray to black with striations on tooth region.
Physical Characteristics:
The megalodon (pronounced /'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 roughly from 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 with two major interpretations; Carcharodon megalodon (under family Lamnidae) or Carcharocles megalodon (under family Otodontidae).[1] Consequently, the scientific name of this species has been commonly abbreviated to C. megalodon in literature.C. megalodon is regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators in vertebrate history.[2] C. megalodon likely had a profound impact on structuring of the marine communities. Fossil remains indicate that this giant shark reached a total length (TL) of more than 16 metres (52 ft),[1] 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, in life.
Family: Lamnidae
Genus: Carcharodon
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Lamniformes
Phylum: ChordataCollection
Museum Collection of FossilsAcquisition
Accession
2011.57Source or Donor
Museum Collection of FossilsAcquisition Method
Long-term LoanDimensions
Width
2-11/16 inDepth
11/16 inLength
3 inLocation
Location
Display Case
FR-9Room
Fossil RoomBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
ExhibitMoved By
Jillian Mather KettleyDate
April 18, 2024
