Description

Late Paleocene

Morocco

Ouled Abdoun Basin, phosphate deposits

Very good 1 inch wide tooth. Otodontidae.

Shark.

Otodus is a genus of large shark (Order Lamniformes) of the Paleocene and Early Eocene.  It might have reached lengths of 30-35 feet.  It was the direct ancestor of Carcharocles, the genus that includes the species, megalodon, though it has been proposed that Otodus should be the genus for that descendant as well.

Deformed (or pathologic) fossil shark teeth are unusual finds just as they are today.  They can be caused by genetic mutation, disease, or injury.  With this tooth it appears the tip was impacted while it was in the developmental stage within the jaw.  It might have bitten into something hard or sharp that injured its jaw or it might have been attacked by another animal but survived long enough for the tooth to develop irregularly and yet remain functional.