THE CONVEYOR BELT OF DEEP TIME

Shark teeth are the ‘coins’ of the prehistoric realm for two reasons: biology and geology. Unlike mammals, sharks are polyphyodont—possessing ‘revolving door’ dentition that can produce up to 35,000 teeth in a single lifetime. While their cartilaginous skeletons vanish, their teeth are armored in enameloid, the hardest biological tissue, making them resilient enough to survive millions of years in the marine sediment vault.

ANATOMICAL PROVENANCE

To read a fossilized tooth is to read the environment that preserved it. The Crown (cutting edge) retains the predatory intent, while the Root and Bourlette (the chevron-shaped neck) absorb minerals like silica and phosphate from the surrounding sediment, turning original white enamel into jet black, honey-gold, or slate-grey stone.

RESEARCH & DATA ARCHIVE

Clardy’s Crystals utilizes the Paleobiology Database (PBDB) as a primary taxonomic authority. By referencing global occurrence data, we align our private curation with the broader scientific record of the Elasmobranchii subclass.

PALEONTOLOGICAL DATA

Class: Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Subclass: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Dentition Type: Polyphyodont (Continuous replacement)
Composition: Bioapatite (Enameloid) / Fluorapatite (Fossilized)
Geological Range: Early Devonian – Present (419 Mya)

Curation Record & Provenance:
Regional Occurrences: SE USA River Systems (Dive Recovery), Peace River (Florida).
Noteworthy Localities: Lee Creek Mine (North Carolina), Khouribga (Morocco), and the Western Interior Seaway (Arkansas).

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Data Sourced via Paleobiodb.org