FOSSILGUY.COM

Fossil Identification Guide for Coastal South Carolina

Sharks / Fish, Reptiles, Ice Age Mammals, Archaeology

Click on the type of fossil or scroll down to browse:

Or go back to the MAIN Coastal South Carolina Page

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Common Sharks, Rays, and other Fish

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Marine Mammals

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Ice Age Mammals

Land Mammals

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Reptiles

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Shark and other Fish

Fossil shark teeth are some of the more popular fossils to look along the beaches and rivers of Coastal South Carolina. They range from Miocene to Pliocene. One of the more sought after shark is the Megalodon shark, a giant 60 foot shark!

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Otodus (Carcharocles) Megalodon and Chubutensis - Megatooth Shark

These are some of the more sought after shark teeth in the area. O. megalodon, with teeth that can reach sizes of 7 inches is the last and largest species of megatooth shark.

O. chubutensis is the stage just before megalodon. The only difference is the presence of side cusps and a slightly smaller size. O. chubutensis are slightly older than megalodon and come from the early to middle Miocene. O. megalodon come from the middle Miocene to early Pliocene formations. In general, O. megalodon appears to be much more common in the Lowcountry than O. chubutensis.

The two species for this ID page are not differentiated for a few reasons:
1. The teeth of both these sharks are mainly found in younger reworked Pleistocene formations, meaning one cannot determine the original formation or age of the teeth for identification.
2. Juvenile megalodon teeth will sometimes have side cusps, making them virtually indistinguishable from chubutensis.
3. Some individual chubutensis teeth have very small side cusps, making them virtually indistinguishable from megalodon.


The point is these are the same megatooth sharks that are in slightly different stages of evolution.

Identification: Largest shark teeth - Very fine serrations - Broad teeth - Sometimes they have small cusps - Bourelette
Similar Fossils: O. angustidens - which has large cusps and are narrower

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Otodus (Carcharocles) Angustidens - Megatooth Shark

Often called an "Angy," this shark is a predecessor to the megalodon shark. These shark teeth come from the Oligocene age Ashley formation and, more commonly, the Chandler Bridge formation. The Chandler Bridge was thought to be a nursery area for these sharks. As a result, larger teeth are not nearly as common as smaller ones.

The key to differentiating these teeth from megalodon and chubutensis teeth is they have robust side cusps. The teeth are generally more narrow and have slightly coarser serrations than megalodon and chubutensis teeth.

Identification: Larger than many other shark teeth - Serrations - Cusps - Bourelette
Similar Fossils: O. chubutensis - This species has smaller cusps and is slightly wider.

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Parotodus benedeni - Falso Mako Shark

Parotodus are uncommon teeth found in the Oligocene to Pliocene formations of South Carolina. Although they have a large time range, they are difficult to find. They are easily identified by their robust shape, including very thick and large roots. Their blades are triangular and curved without serrations.

Identification: Large in size - Robust - Thick root - No Serrations
Similar Fossils: Certain tooth positions of Mako (Isurus) teeth may slightly resemble them.

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Carcharodon carcharias - Great White Shark

Great white shark teeth are fairly common along Coastal South Carolina. They come from the various Pliocene and Pleistocene formations. Unfortunately, Great White shark teeth are very thin and are commonly found broken or rootless.

These are larger teeth that can sometimes reach sizes that are slightly over 3 inches. Upper and lower teeth are very different. Upper teeth are broad, triangular, and flat. Lower teeth have thicker roots, have larger root lobes, and are not as wide. Both uppers and lowers have very coarse and irregular serrations. Refer to the imags below for examples of upper and lower Great White shark teeth.

Identification: Large in size - Coarse and Irregular Serrations - Upper teeth are Wide and Thin - No Bourelette - No Cusps
Similar Fossils: C. hastalis - These teeth look the same, but DO NOT have serrations.

Here is your Complete guide to the Great White shark.

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Carcharodon hastalis and plicatilis - Extinct White Sharks

Carcharodon hastalis and plicatilis are commonly found in the Lowcountry. They are an extinct type of White shark, similar to the Great White, but they do not have serrations. They can range in size up to around 3 inches. These are commonly called "Mako Teeth" by amateurs, but are not related to Mako sharks.

C. hastalis, this Miocene "Narrow White" is a narrower form. The enamel does not come completely to the edge of the root.
C. plicatilis, this Pliocene "Giant White" is a broad form. The enamel comes to the edge of the root.

There are tremendous variation in these teeth, which makes identification to a species from a single tooth nearly impossible. Usually one must rely on the age of the formation, as C. hastalis is a Miocene shark, while C. plicatilis is a Pliocene shark. Since the formations are mixed in coastal South Carolina, it's nearly impossibe distinguish an isolated tooth to a species.

Identification: Large in size - Smooth cutting edges - Upper teeth are Wide and Thin - No Bourelette - Juveniles may have cusps
Similar Fossils: C. carcharis - The Great White has the same shape, but it HAS serrations.

Here is your Complete guide to extinct White Sharks.

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Isurus oxyrinchus - Shortfin Mako Shark

Shortfin Mako sharks can grow up to 12 feet in length. They are pelagic, or open ocean sharks. Modern Makos eat a variety of prey, including other sharks, fish, and squid. For information on Mako Sharks, please visit the Mako Shark Gallery.

There are tremendous variation in these teeth, which makes identification to a species from a single tooth nearly impossible. Usually one must rely on the age of the formation, as C. hastalis is a Miocene shark, while C. plicatilis is a Pliocene shark. Since the formations are mixed in coastal South Carolina, it's nearly impossibe distinguish an isolated tooth to a species.

Identification: Long, slender crown with no serrations. Many tooth positions have pointed root lobes and a thick root center.
Similar Fossils: C. hastalis - Lover teeth of the this extinct white has a similar shape.

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Carcharinus sp. - Gray Sharks

Carcharhinus sharks, or the Gray Sharks, are a genera of Requiem shark. With over 35 living species, they are very common and have a nearly global distribution. They feed on a variety of prey, from bony fish, other sharks and rays, and squid.

Because there are so many living (and extinct) species, and the teeth look similar, identification to an individual species is very difficult. Fossil species are found in almost all of the fossil bearing formations mentioned in the main article in Coastal South Carolina. Fossil species include the Bull Shark, Dusky Shark, Carribean Reef Shark, Copper Shark, and Sandbar Shark.

Identification: Small (less than an inch) triangular teeth with serrations, lower teeth are more peg-like than upper teeth.
Similar Fossils: Lower teeth look very similar to Lemon shark teeth.

If you want to try to identify these teeth to an individual species, go to the Carcharhinus page for much more ID information and images.

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Carcharias sp. - Sand Tiger Shark

Growing up to 10 feet in length, Sand Tigers are found in temperate waters worldwide along the coast, including the Eastern United States. They look ferocious in the water as they usually swim with their mouths partially open, showing rows of long and pointy teeth. These small teeth are ideal for grasping onto bony fish, which is their food source.

Sand Tigers are NOT related to Tiger Sharks.

Individual Sand Tiger teeth are highly variable. As a result, the research is a little muddy on fossil sand tigers. Also, since the formations are usually mixed in the Coastal area, making identification to a species is nearly impossible.

Identification: Sand Tiger are small, usually less than an inch in size, and have a distinctive shape. They have a long crown, small recurved cusplets (sometimes worn off), and long pointy root lobes with a deep nutrient groove.
Similar Fossils: From isolated teeth, it's very difficult, if not impossible to distinguish one Sand Tiger species from the next.

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Galeocerdo sp. - Tiger Shark

Tiger sharks are found in tropical and temperate waters across the globe, including the Pacific. They are large sharks with an unmistakable appearance as they have very short and blunt snouts. They also have a unique color pattern. At birth, Tiger sharks have dark spots along their dorsal surface, which fuse into vertical bars or stripes at maturity. These unique stripes begin to fade as the shark ages.

Two types of tiger sharks are common in Coastal South Carolina; G. aduncus, a Miocene species, and G. cuvier, a Pliocene to recent species.

G. cuvier is larger than G. aduncus. G. aduncus are smaller, usually less than an inch in length, while G. cuvier can reach over an inch. G. aduncus also look less robust. See the Tiger Shark page for a comparison image of all the fossil tiger shark teeth.

Identification: Short crowns, Serrated distal cutting edges that are strongly notched. complex serrations on their mesial cutting edge. Roots are flattened with square-like root lobes.
Similar Fossils: The species G. aduncus, P. contortus, and G. cuvier all look similar. Check out the Tiger Shark page to see the differences.

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Physogaleus contortus
Extinct Tiger-like Shark

These teeth are similar to G. aduncus but have more of a grasping shape to them instead of a cutting shape. This indicates it had more of a fish diet (like sand tigers) than G. aduncus. P. contortus is an Oligocene to Miocene species.

Identification: The defining characteristic of these teeth are their twisted crowns. Unlike G. aduncus, the crowns have VERY fine serrations. The enameloid shoulders sometimes have course serrations. Their roots appear thicker and more robust than G. aduncus teeth.

Similar Fossils: Worn teeth can be confused with worn Galeocerdo aduncus teeth.
Similar Fossils: The species G. aduncus, P. contortus, and G. cuvier all look similar. Check out the Tiger Shark page to see the differences and a composite dentition.

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Hemipristis serra - Snaggletooth Shark

This species lived from the late Oligocene into the early Pleistocene. They are commonly called Snaggeltooth Sharks due to the large serrations on the teeth. Species of Hemipristis are extant today, however, they are only found in tropical waters, and are much smaller than this fossil species. This fossil species are also found worldwide.

Go to the Snaggletooth Shark Gallery to view a composite dentition of a Snaggletooth shark and to learn more about these sharks.

Identification: Upper teeth are unmistakable, as they have very jagged serrations and the root makes a "Z" type shape Lower anterior teeth look similar to sand-tiger teeth, however, they have jagged cusps and a very thick bulge on the root. Lower lateral teeth are similar to upper teeth, but are more compressed length wise.
Similar Fossils: Worn lower anterior teeth may resemble sand-tiger teeth.

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Negaprion sp. - Lemon Shark

Lemon Shark teeth can be easily confused with Carcharhinus sp. lowers, however they have smooth to very week serrated enameloid shoulders, where Carcharhinus sp. have serrated enameloid shoulders.

Identification: Crown has a smooth edge, shoulder is weakly serrated, root and blade are at a nearly 90 degree angle.
Similar Fossils: Carcharhinus shark lower teeth.

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Sphyrna zygaena
Hammerhead Shark

Hammer Head Sharks can get up to 11 feet in length. They feed on a variety of prey, including other sharks, bony fish, and crustaceans.

For more information on Hammerhead Sharks, go to the Hammerhead Shark Gallery.

Identification: Small, No Serrations, Deep nutrient groove / notch on root, Notched margin on enamel, Smooth enamel shoulder.
Similar Fossils: Similar in shape and size to Thresher and worn carcharhinus shark teeth.

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Shark Vertebra

The centers of shark vertebrae sometimes fossilize. These look like disks that vary in thickness. usually they are thin, but some can be quite thick.

Shark vertebra can be narrowed down into two categories, Lamnoid Type and Scyliorhinoid Type. Lamnoid type come from Lamniform shark order. These vertebra contain lots of little bridges or septa running through the disk. The Scyliorhinoid Type is more solid and do not have the septa.

Identification: Disk shaped - Thickness varies.
Similar Fossils: None

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Ray Fossils

Rays have modified teeth that form flat crushing plates. These crushing plates are adapted for eating mollusks and crustaceans on the sea floor. They suck their prey up like a vacuum and simply crush them between their upper and lower crushing plates.

Common fossils from rays are pieces of their crushing plates, barb pieces, and scutes.

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Fish Vertebra

Many types of fish are found in the formations of Coastal South Carolina.

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Marine Mammals

Remains of marine mammals such as cetacea (whales and dolphins) and dugongs are fairly common in Coastal South Carolina. Below are sample fossils from Whales and Dolphins and Dugongs.

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Cetacea - Whales and Dolphins

Cetacea - Whale/Dolphin Ear Bones

Ear bones (bulla and periotic) are very dense are usually the best preserved bone elements of the skull of cetacea.

The two ear bones are the Periotic and the Tympanic Bulla. Periotics look like odd shaped pebbles and are often overlooked. Sometimes the fossils become so water eroded that they become difficult to distinguish from a regular pebble.

Cetacea - Whale/Dolphin Teeth

Odontocetes are toothed whales that include dolphins. Odontocete teeth are occasionally found in the fossil bearing formations of coastal South Carolina. There were countless genus of whales and dolphins found in the formations and isolated teeth usually cannot be identified to any specific genus or species.

Cetacea - Whale/Dolphin Vertebra

Fossil Whale / Dolphin vertebrae are a common find in the Lowcountry. The processes are usually broken off, and only the centra are left, as in the samples below. There are different types of vertebrae that have different shapes depending on the position in the animals back:

Cervical: Vertebrae which form the head and neck veretebrae.
Thoracic: Vertebrae, or Rib Vertebrae, form the upper back.
Lumbar and Sacrum: vertebrae which form the lower back.
Caudal: vertebrae which form the tail.


The numbers of each type of vertebrae vary depending on the species of whale or dolphin. Some have only 41 verebrae, while others have 91 vertebrae! Usually teh fossil vertebrae have most of the processes (bony protrusions) worn or broken off, so only the central disk is left. The genus and species of a cetacean cannot be determined from an isolated vertebra, usually only the vertebra position can be determined.

Cetacea - Whale/Dolphin Bone Fragments

Bone Fragments from cetacea are the most abundant fossils found in the low country. Often they are small and unidentifiable to a specific bone.

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Dugongs

A Dugong is a type of sea cow, similar to a Manatee. Today Dugongs are not found in North America, but in the past, they were common along the Eastern Coast of the United States.

Dugong Rib Sections

Dugong rib bones are common in some locations in the Lowcountry. They are easy to identify as they are incredibly dense. Their ribs are extra heavy to aid in buoyancy (it offsets some of the fat).

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Ice Age Animals

One of the more popular type of fossils found in the Lowcountry is remains of numerous Ice Age mammals from the many Pleistocene formations and deposits in the area. Well known Pleistocene formations that contain numerous Ice Age mammals include the Waccamaw formation, Wando formation, and the Edisto Beach deposit just off Edisto Island.

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Horse - Equus sp.

Horses are the most common non-marine mammal fossil found in Coastal South Carolina. Although there are miocene horses, by far, the most common horse comes from Equus sp., a modern horse from the numerous Pleistocene deposits.

Horses were very common in North America during the Ice ages. They also became extinct in the Americas at end of the Pleistocene with all the other ice age mammals. Luckily, before their demise, they were able to cross the Bering land bridge (along with camels) and spread into Asia, thus avoiding complete extinction.

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Giant Ground Sloths

Ground Ground Sloths were group of giant sloths related to today's two and three toed sloths. They were much larger, with some reaching the size of elephants. Ground sloths evolved in South America and spread throughout North America during the Ice Ages. They were herbivores that had very large claws that could dig up roots and dig burrows. They had very blunt teeth for chewing vegetation. All ground sloths became extinct at the end of the Ice Age around 10,000 years ago.

Two Giant Ground Sloths are found in South Carolina:

1. Jefferson's Ground Sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii):
Jefferson's Ground Sloth is another large Ground Sloth. It reached a size of around 9 feet.

2. Harlan's Ground Sloth (Paramylodon harlani):
Herlan's Ground Sloth is a smaller Ground Sloth. It reached a size of around 6 feet. Harlan's Ground Sloth was probably a grazer and fed mainly on grasses.

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Tapir - Large Pig Like Animal

Tpirs still live in South and Central America. They are hoofed animals that have a pig-like body with a short trunk-like snout. Tapirs are herbivores and came to North America with the rest of the large mammals when North and South America joined approximately 3 million years ago.

Often Tapir teeth can be found. Their molars are relatively easy to identify as they have distinct ridges with low crowns.

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Mastodons - Primitive Elephants
and
Mammoths - Elephants

Mastodons and Mammoths are discussed together here to distinguish the diferences between the two.

Mastodons are primitive elephants that are often confused with Mammoths, both of which are found in South Carolina.

Mastodons
Mastodons are primitive elephants that split from the elephant family tree around 25 million years ago!

Mastodons have teeth with rows of large crowns that are ideal for crunching up leaves and small branches from trees. Stomach contents from a well preserved specimen in Ohio show it ate sedges, swamp grass, and other wetland vegetation.

Mastodons were smaller than mammoths and had flatter heads than mammoths or elephants today. They grew to about 9 feet tall and weighed around 6 tons.

Mastodons probably lived in more forested environments feeding on vegetation, similar to moose today.

Mammoths
Mammoths are closely related to Asian Elephants, as they only split off the family tree around 6 million years ago. They are just a little larger with a little more fur.

The griding surfaces of thier teeth are flat with small ridges on them. These are ideal for grinding up grasses

Mammoths were larger than Mastodons and had dome shaped heads, like todays elephants.

The largest types of Mammoths, the Steppe Mammoths, grew to about 14 feet tall and weighed around 14 tons.

Mammoths probbably lived in grasslands and steppes grazing on tall grasses.

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Reptiles

Reptile fossils from the area mostly come from Crocodiles, Alligators, and Turtles, such as sea turtles and sometimes even gian land tortoises.

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Turtle Shell Fragments