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GRADE 10 LARGE COMPLETE SPERM WHALE TOOTH WITH ROOT St. Mary's River - Georgia, U.S.A. MIOCENE TO PLIOCENE PERIOD: 23.3 - 1.81 million years ago We are pleased to offer this beautiful GRADE 10 complete fossil tooth with root from a prehistoric Sperm Whale sub-adult, Physeter macrocephalus. Like T. rex, this species Sperm Whale ruled the ancient seas and shared the title of "king" with the Megalodon Shark during its day. Today, they have no rival. The Sperm whale is and was the largest of all the toothed whales and males can grow to lengths in excess of 60 feet. The male Sperm whale is THE largest predator living in the sea today. They are truly the kings of the ocean realm. Of superb preservation, the smooth surface of this wonderful tooth displays a naturally patinated burnt orange hue from the river tannins. The grain in the crown is most impressive as seen in the close-up photo above. The root is complete and intact right down to the delicate hollow base. Usually, when these teeth are found, they are in such horrible shape with broken or badly worn down crowns. This specimen shows the finest preservation to the contrary. There is no damage of any kind and it was found whole as you see it! Intact with NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. A specimen such as this is perfect to display alongside a Megalodon shark tooth collection as this creature would have shared the same waters and served as the main food source for the largest and most dangerous shark that ever lived, the MEGALODON shark. Whales, dolphins and porpoises make up the group of air-breathing marine mammals called CETACEANS. This group is comprised of three sub-groups - the extinct ARCHAEOCETI, and two living types, the ODONTOCETI (toothed whales) and MYSTICETI (baleen whales). All have a body structure that is highly adapted for their marine environment. These features include paddle-like forelimbs, lack of external hind limbs, large tail for propulsion underwater, dorsally located nostrils for breathing just above the surface of the water, specialized ears for underwater hearing and a streamlined body profile for efficient hydrodynamic locomotion. Odontocetes are more prevalent and varied than Mysticetes. All of the smaller current living whales (porpoises, orcas, narwhals, pilots, etc.) and a few of the larger ones (Sperm Whale) are toothed (Odontocetes). Mysticetes include the largest animal that ever lived on the earth, the Blue Whale. All cetaceans are carnivorous with a main diet consisting of fish, invertebrates and other marine mammals. Many cetacean fossils are found in sediments alongside fossil shark teeth and other marine vertebrates but whale fossils are much less common compared to other marine vertebrate fossils of the same period and region and whale fossils are often found in fragments or show evidence of predation by prehistoric sharks, no doubt, cetaceans most feared enemy in their prehistoric past. FINEST PRESERVATION ON THIS LARGE, BEAUTIFUL COMPLETE FOSSIL WHALE TOOTH WITH ROOT! 4.75" in length on the outside curve SOLD MV21-019 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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