Long before anyone could place the Megalodon tooth on a shelf, take a picture of it, or examine its sharp edge, the tooth was doing something much more gruelling. The tooth was a part of the biggest predatory fish that could ever be found in the oceans of Earth. The tooth slid out. This would be the end for the majority of objects. It can be also the beginning of a story for a fossil.

Image credit: fossildriven.com

The specimens offered by Fossil Driven have traveled through a geological process measured not in years or centuries, but in millions of years. Understanding the journey can change the perception of viewing the fossil. The fossil is no longer just a glance at a beautiful object. You’re looking at physical evidence from an old world.

First Stop: An Ancient Ocean

Look at the Megalodon teeth found in West Java, Indonesia. Around 20 million years ago, areas of dry land we have today were warm marine environments. Megalodon sharks were found in those prehistoric waters alongside countless other forms of marine life.

Megalodon also produced and shed teeth in a similar way to sharks of today. A few of these teeth later settled in marine sediments. Under the right conditions burial could protect them for so long that fossilization could take place.

Then geology took over

The next chapter progressed slow. Sediments were accumulating. Minerals interacted with the material that was buried. The forces of geology changed landscapes, and submerged areas became land. The reasons for the color differences in fossil teeth is what customers are able to see when they browse Megalodon teeth for sale.

Indonesian specimens that are part of West Java’s Miocene Bentang Formation may appear tan, gold, brown, red, blue or black. Or they can display many shades within one tooth. The mineral environment around them contributes to the look a specimen is able to develop during its lengthy burial. It is therefore impossible to reproduce in mass quantities through nature. Each fossil has experienced the geological evolution of its own.

Discovery Begins Another Chapter

Finally, a mysterious fossil dated to millions of years old is discovered. The identification and documentation becomes important.

Collectors do not just focus on the appearance of megalodon tooth teeth when they hunt for them. Information on the location, geological age preservation, repairs and restoration helps explain what they’re really looking at.

Natural wear will not erase the history of a fossil. The past of the specimen can be reflected in a worn tip, an imperfect root or a serrated surface. What is important is that it represents the condition of the specimen in an accurate manner.

Fossil Driven brings over 13 years of fossil identification experience in this process. They also work with well-known fossil hunters and suppliers. Where possible, fossils are described, and then analyzed using all the relevant details.

The Fossil is eventually in someone’s hands

Real Fossils are bought for a variety of different reasons. Some people build a carefully organized collection. Certain people prefer one striking piece to provoke conversation. A child who is interested in the prehistoric animals could be gifted the first fossil that sparks their interest in paleontology.

Megalodon teeth are just one entrance into the world. Dinosaur tooth and mosasaur teeth, trilobites and ammonites as in addition to mammoth and ammonite and amber pieces of material, preserve diverse chapters in the history of Earth.

The most satisfying part is knowing it’s real

A replica is able to duplicate the look and feel of a tooth from the past. It cannot reproduce its history. The original Megalodon tooth was part of an ancient animal, entered an environment completely different from the modern world, survived geological change, and was buried for many decades, and was eventually recovered.

This is the reason authenticity is so important. You are holding a fossil that has completed a truly amazing journey through time. The display case represents its most recent stop.