Megalodon - Fossil tooth - 11.5 cm

Megalodon - Fossil tooth - 11.5 cm
Neogene, Miocene (23.03 - 5.33 million years ago) - Indonesia
Extraordinary specimen of a fossil tooth belonging to Carcharocles megalodon, the largest shark ever to have lived on Earth, extinct about 3.6 million years ago.
Features:
Shape: Triangular, robust and symmetrical, typical of anterior/lateral teeth of the jaw
Preservation: Excellent — enamel well preserved with clearly visible vertical striations along the edges
Color: Natural brown/amber, the result of sedimentary mineralization that occurred over millions of years
Roots and bourlette subjected to restoration with the original sediment matrix still adherent
Serration: Very fine and well preserved on the cutting edges (carinae)
State of preservation: Excellent for a fossil of this age.
Collecting interest: A piece of great visual impact, ideal for fossil collectors, paleontology enthusiasts, or as a high-quality decorative element.
Otodus megalodon (the species name, megalodon, derives from Greek and means "large tooth"), commonly known as megalodon or megadolon, is an extinct species of giant shark that lived from the early Miocene to the early Pliocene, about 23–3.6 million years ago (Aquitanian–Zanclean), whose large fossil teeth demonstrate cosmopolitan distribution. In the past it was thought that O. megalodon belonged to the family Lamnidae and was a close relative of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), but subsequent studies reclassified it within the extinct family Otodontidae, a family that split from the lineage of the great white during the Early Cretaceous.
Size estimates for Megalodon vary depending on the method used, with maximum total length projections between 14.2 and 20.3 meters.