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Megatooth Fossils Found at the Calvert Cliffs of Maryland

Fossils here include:

C. subauriculatus aka chubutensis and C. Megalodon


So, you found a meg tooth.. Wouldnt you like to know how big the shark was that the tooth came from?
Click here for an easy way to find out!

Megalodons are among the most sought after teeth in the Calvert cliffs and other nearby Miocene exposures. However, before you go looking for a huge megalodon from the cliffs, you should be warned most of the meg teeth are in the 1 - 3" class in these Miocene exposures. Although larger ones are often found, you have a better chance at finding the large ones in the younger Pliocene exposures further south in the Atlantic coastal plain.

(The smallest divisions in the ruler are 1/8")
Carcharodon/Carcharocles sp.
White Sharks & Megatoothed Sharks
There is some debate as to what genus the ever-popular megatoothed sharks belong to.

It has been suggested that these sharks evolved from a separate lineage, and are not related to the Carcharodon genus, even though they may superficially resemble Carcharodon teeth.
If this is true, the Carcharocles genus evolved from the genus Otodus, and the modern Great Whites (Carcharodon Carcharias) probably evolved from the mako shark genus, Isurus (which would then be called Cosmopolitodus) .

However, Purdy et al (2001) provides a number of reasons why this genus should be assigned to Carcharodon, and not Carcharocles.
If this is true, the Megtoothed sharks are a distant relative of the great whites. Therefore they did not evolve from the Paleocene/Eocene Otodus lineage, and instead evolved from the extinct Carcharodon orientalis in the Paleocene.

Confusing? It may be a while before a megs lineage is figured out.
?Carcharodon subauriculatus (Agassiz, 1839) aka chubutensis (Ameghino, 1906a)
(Megatooth Shark)
 Identification based on Kent (1994) & Purdy et al (2001).
This species is thought to have evolved directly into C. megalodon. The only difference is the tiny cusplets
This species is only found in the early to middle Miocene. This species may be thought to have evolved from C. subauriculatus, however Purdy et al (2001) suggests C. chubutensis is synonymous with C. subauriculatus.

Distinguishing the difference between small megalodons and subauriculatus can be tricky. Juvenile megalodons can also have cusps on their teeth. Therefore, some subauriculatus identified below could be juvenile megalodons.
The 1st megatooth shark I found!
Notice this chubutensis has very tiny "nubs" for cusps. It almost looks like a cross between a megalodon and a chubutensis.

Based on this tooth, the size of the shark it came from was probably around 21 feet in length.

Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point member
    Age:
  • Early - Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Plum Pt., Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 2.75" (70mm) slant height
    • Amy saw this razor sharp chubutensis sticking out of the sand and thought it was whole!
    It broke her heart when she lifted it out of the sand.
    This is the summers official heartbreaker tooth.

    I didn't know Chubbys got this big!

    Based on this tooth, the size of the shark it came from was probably around 40 feet in length.


    Formation:
  • Choptank
    Age:
  • Early - Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Near Parkers Creek, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • ~5 1/16" (129mm) slant
    Date:
  • Summer 2001
    • This is a small chipped Chubutensis posterior (from the rear of the mouth).
    You can tell it's a Chubby, due to the tiny "cusp" at the edge of the tooth

    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point Member
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Willows, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 1 1/8" (28.5mm) slant height
    Date:
  • Summer, 2001
    • This is a labial view of a broken lower lateral tooth.



    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point member
    Age:
  • Early - Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Plum Pt., Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • If complete, ~2 1/2" (63mm)
    • We found a tiny one... This guy was dug out of a chunk of fallen Zone 10 in the Calvert Formation.
    It appears to have some feeding damage on the tip.


    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point member, Zone 10
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 16-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Randle Cliff, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 1 1/4" (30mm) slant height
    • ?Carcharodon megalodon (Agassiz, 1843)
    (Megatooth Shark)
    Identification based on Kent (1994) & Purdy et al (2001). Obviously, this is the most famous prehistoric shark. It has the largest teeth, was twice the size of a Great White, and included whales in its diet!
    They lived from the Miocene and became extinct in the Pliocene. I sure am glad they're dead!
    Lingual and labial view of a nice looking lateral meg.

    Click on the pic to see the trip this was found on.

    Formation:
  • Calvert
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • From a private spot along the cliffs, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 2 3/8" (60mm) slant height
    Date:
  • November 2007.
    • Lingual and labial view of a nice looking lateral meg.

    Click on the pic to see the trip this was found on.

    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point member
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • From a private spot along the cliffs, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 2 3/8" (60mm) slant height
    Date:
  • January 2004.
    • The left tooth was found by snorkeling , The right one is a small but almost perfect anterior, except for the feeding damage on the tip.
    This was pulled out of a chunk of fallen zone 10 of the Calvert formation.

    Based on these teeth, the size of the sharks these teeth came from were probably around 15 feet in length.

    Formation:
  • Left is Choptank. Right is Calvert, Plum Point member, Zone 10
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Left is from a snorkel spot. Right is from Randle Cliff, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • Both have a 1 7/8" (47mm) slant height
    Date:
  • Left is from spring 2002, right is from spring 2000.
    • These are three small lateral megs. The left one is a labial view of a marble looking tooth. The right one is a lingual view of the first nearly complete C. megalodon tooth Amy found. The left two are labial views.

    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point Member
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • left-most one is from Plum Pt. Other two are from near Willows, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • 1 3/8 & 1 5/8" (35 & 41mm) slant
    • All 3 of these laterals were found on the same stretch of beach in less than an hour. The person I was collecting with now hates me.
    The left one is in perfect condition.

    Formation:
  • Calvert, Plum Point Member
    Age:
  • Middle Miocene ~ 18-15 m.y.
    Location:
  • Willows, Calvert Co., MD
    Size:
  • Complete one has a 1 5/8" slant (41mm)
    Date:
  • Spring 2002



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