.76" Pathological Shark (Otodus) Tooth - Morocco

This is a very interesting fossil. It's a pathalogical, .76" long Otodus obliquus with a growth abnormality. The distal (toward the back) cusp is deformed away from the crown. This kind of abnormality is often caused when something the animal was feeding on lodged between the crown and the cusp. The other features of the tooth are normal. This is a complete tooth.

Tooth abnormalities most often occur when pressure is exerted on the tooth during formation. Teeth form the enamel first, it is soft at first and if pressure is applied before the tooth hardens a deformation can occur.

Otodus is an extinct mackerel (Lamniformes) shark that lived during the Eocene, approximately 54 million years ago. This is the same family of sharks that includes the Great White and the largest shark ever known, the Megalodon. These teeth are collected during phosphate mining operations near Khouribga, Morocco. While Otodus teeth are common fossils at these mines, large, good quality specimens are hard to find since they are often destroyed by the mining equipment.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Otodus obliquus
LOCATION
Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco
FORMATION
Phosphate Deposits
SIZE
.76" long
ITEM
#108253
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