Before anyone could photograph or look at, or even put Megalodon teeth on a shelf, it was doing something more unsettling. It was among the biggest predatory sharks known to have ever lived in oceans on Earth. The tooth was later lost. That’s it for most items. It could be also the beginning of a tale for fossils.
Fossil Driven’s fossils have been through a geological adventure that is not measured in years or decades instead, millions of years. This journey can change the way you view fossils. It’s no longer just looking at an interesting object. You’re looking at physical evidence from an old world.
Image credit: fossildriven.com
First Stop: An Ancient Ocean
Think about the Megalodon teeth found in West Java, Indonesia. About 20 million years ago, the areas that are today dry were surrounded by warm marine environments. Megalodon sharks inhabited those prehistoric waters as well as countless other forms of marine life.
Megalodon, like modern sharks in the present, constantly produces teeth and then loses them. A few of the teeth were buried in sediments from the sea. If the conditions are favorable burial could protect them for sufficient time to permit fossilization.
Then, Geology came in.
The next chapter proceeded incredibly slow. Sediments built up. Minerals acted in conjunction and buried material. Geological forces altered landscapes and submerged habitats became land. This is why people are aware that fossil megalodons may come in different colors.
Indonesian specimens that are part of the West Java’s Miocene Bentang Formation may appear tan, gold, blue, red, brown or black. They can also display many shades within one tooth. The minerals surrounding the specimen may affect the shade of a tooth after a prolonged burial. It is impossible to produce the results in large quantities by natural processes. Each fossil has had its own geological story.
Discovery Begins Another Chapter
Then, a secret fossil of millions of years old is discovered. The identification and documentation is essential.
When collectors browse authentic megalodon teeth for sale and aren’t merely evaluating their appearance. That’s why they need to know about the geological preservation, age, locality and repairs.
Natural wear doesn’t erase the past of the fossil. A worn or damaged tip, an imperfect tooth, or even a missing serration could be a part of the process that happened to this specimen before and after burial. The most important thing is to represent the specimen in an accurate manner.
Fossil Driven has more than 13 years of expertise in the identification of fossils and works with established suppliers as well as fossil hunters. The fossils are examined and described, with relevant information if possible.
In the end the Fossil gets into the hands of someone else
People buy real Fossils for many reasons. Certain collections are carefully categorize. Some are looking to create a dramatic conversation piece. A child that is fascinated by the fossils from the past could receive a first genuine fossil that starts the process of developing a passion for paleontology that will last a lifetime.
Megalodons are but one of the many ways that lead to this world. Dinosaur teeth, fossils of mosasaurs, ammonites, trilobites, amber mammoth materials, and other specimens preserve entirely various chapters from Earth’s past.
The greatest thing is knowing that it’s true
A replica is able to reproduce the shape of an ancient tooth. It is not able to recreate its history. The Megalodon teeth were discovered in ancient animals that lived in a completely different environment as we do now. They were able to withstand geological changes, were buried for many millennia, and were eventually were discovered.
It’s for this reason that authenticity is vital. A fossil is an evidence of a trip that has been nearly impossible to imagine. Its latest stop is in the display case.