Description

Late Paleocene

Ouled Abdoun Basin, Phosphate Deposits

Morocco

0.65 inch tooth.

Shark.  Otodontidae.

Otodus is a genus of large shark that appeared during the Early Paleocene and became an apex predator by the Early Eocene, perhaps reaching 35 feet in length.  One of its descendants is Carcharocles megalodon, one of the last members of the family, Otodontidae.

Deformed (or pathologic) shark teeth are found in the fossil record just as they are today.  They can be caused by genetic mutation. disease, or injury.  This tooth appears to have been impacted and bent back before it was fully-developed within the jaw.