Fossil Shark Tooth and Porpoise Atlas Vertebra In Rock- California

This fascinating specimen is an association of a Carcharodon (Isurus) planus shark tooth and the atlas vertebra of an unidentified porpoise. The specimen was collected from the Middle Miocene, Temblor Formation in Kern County, California; an area notable for its abundance of C. planus teeth and the occasional Megalodon tooth. Both the tooth and the vertebra are in excellent condition, with minimal restoration. This is a collector worthy piece to be excited about. What makes this piece exceptional is the fact that the vertebra is fully intact. The atlas vertebra (along with the axis vertebra) connect the spine to the base of the skull in cetacean species and are incredibly fragile when fossilized. Which makes this specimen quite rare, especially for its near-pristine preservation.

The exact classification of these teeth has been hotly debated for several decades. Historically, these teeth have been classified as a mako shark (Isurus planus or Cosmopolitodus planus) but more recent research has suggested they fall into the white shark lineage (Carcharodon planus), You can read more about this here.