On Shark Teeth

I lived on Jacksonville Beach for awhile and enjoyed riding bike along the beach to an as-of-yet undeveloped patch of Ponte Vedra. In my day pack, along with a towel, a couple of beers, and a peanut butter sandwich, I’d bring a Frisbee to pan for shark teeth. There was a particular spot I liked—it reminded me of a particular girl. She seemed to always be there and there seemed to always be plenty of teeth to bring home in the sandwich bag. There’s an upscale beach club and golf course there now. I wonder if the girl has moved on.

Did you know that the shape of shark teeth vary according to their diet; those species that feed on mollusks and crustaceans have dense flattened teeth for crushing, those that feed on fish have needle-like teeth for gripping, and those that feed on larger prey such as mammals have pointed lower teeth for gripping and triangular upper teeth with serrated edges for cutting. The teeth of plankton-feeders such as the basking shark are greatly reduced and non-functional.

FYI, here’s an article on How to Find Shark Teeth at Edisto Beach near Charleston.