Crow Shark
Squalicorax pristodontus (Morton)
Squalicorax
Lindstromi (Davis) aka Squalicorax kaupi (Agassiz)

Age - Cretaceous  Commonality - Very common

  Squalicorax teeth have a worldwide distribution and are common in New Jersey, easily identifiable to genus even when damaged or water-worn. They are the only Cretaceous tooth found in NJ with serrations and have a distinctive shape. While there are a number of species reported from NJ, S. pristondontus and S. Lindstromi (formally S. kaupi) are by far are the most common. I’ve included these two species on one page just for the convenience of describing the differences.  The teeth are flat teeth with large compressed roots. The two species look very similar. S. pristondontus is the larger of the two averaging between 3/4 and 1 1/2 inches with S. Lindstromi going between 1/2 to 5/8’s of an inch. S. Lindstromi has a distinct notch on the distal side of the crown with finer serrations than S. pristondontus. The teeth of both these species hold up well to stream wear.

A good friend has an excellent site devoted exclusively to Squalicorax. Patricks shark teeth


 

Squalicorax

On the left S. Lindstromi (formally S. kaupi) with the distinctive notch.
On the right is the larger
S. pristondontus.
Monmouth County, NJ.

 


 

All species of crow look flat or compressed when viewed
on profile.
 


 

Posterior teeth have an elongated look.
Squalicorax are the only Cretaceous teeth to have serrations,
 


 

Typical stream finds.

Squalicorax was a scavenger, teeth have been
found imbedded in fossilized bone.
 


Additional photographs
 


 

A large S. pristondontus.

 


 

A rare NJ find, Squalicorax verts with associated teeth.
Specimens in the collection of Monmouth Amateur Paleontologist Society (MAPS)
Ralph Johnson curator.


 

Squalicorax symphysial tooth.
Identified by Dr. Kenshu Shimada from
DePaul University.

 

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