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The Fossil Journal

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megalodonfossil identification

How to Identify a Real Megalodon Tooth

A genuine Otodus megalodon tooth is a fossil between roughly 3.6 and 23 million years old: stone-heavy, finely serrated on both edges, with a dark chevron-shaped bourrelet and a porous, bilobed root. A resin cast can be poured by the dozen. This guide covers the anatomy of a real tooth, the marks of authenticity, the red flags of a fake, the honest difference between a fake and a restored tooth, safe at-home checks, and why provenance and a COA matter.

Jun 29, 2026

megalodon teethfossil shark teeth

How to Grade and Value Fossil Shark Teeth

A fossil shark tooth's value rarely comes down to size alone. This curator's guide covers the factors that actually drive grade and value: slant height measured correctly, completeness, enamel quality and color, serrations, tip and root condition, percent restoration, pathology, and locality. It explains a practical gift / collector / investment framing, why bigger isn't automatically better, why a disclosed repair is fine but a hidden one isn't, and how to read a listing and a COA.

Jun 29, 2026

fossil shark teethsouth carolina fossils

River vs Beach Fossil Finds in the Lowcountry

A field guide to telling river fossil shark teeth from beach fossil shark teeth in the SC Lowcountry. Learn how fossils erode from submerged Oligocene and Miocene formations into blackwater rivers like the Cooper and Edisto, giving them deep color, smooth patina, and fine preservation, versus how surf and beach renourishment deliver smaller, more worn teeth to Folly and Edisto Beach. Includes a comparison table, the realities of collecting each, and what origin means when you buy.

Jun 29, 2026

fossil shark teethfossil care

How to Clean and Display Fossils the Right Way

A fossil shark tooth survives millions of years underground, then takes most of its damage on your shelf. This guide covers how to clean and display fossil shark teeth the right way: the gentle cleaning that helps, the acids and shortcuts that destroy value, the real enemies in a display case (UV, humidity swings, handling oils), how to stabilize flaky matrix, and how to label a specimen so its species, locality, and provenance endure.

Jun 29, 2026