SOUTH CAROLINA, USA

Name: A VERY LARGE MEGALODON TOOTH
Brand: SOUTH CAROLINA, USA
Price: 9000.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 11,340

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GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000

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A VERY LARGE MEGALODON TOOTH

SOUTH CAROLINA, USA

Price Realised GBP 11,340

The 5³⁄₄-inch tooth of Carcharocles megalodon from the Langhian (16-14 million years ago) with a graduated grey colour, supported on stand.
7¹⁄₄ x 4³⁄₄ x 2in. (18 x 12 x 5cm.) on stand

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
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Conditions of Sale
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This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

James HyslopHead of Department, Science & Natural History

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

jhyslop@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7752 3205

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Lot Essay

Megalodon – literally “Large Tooth” – is a name befitting of the gargantuan prehistoric marine predator. Estimated to have grown to as long as 18 metres (over three times that of the average modern Great White Shark), the Megalodon was the largest shark to have ever existed. It is thought to have had a more stunted jaw and deeper-set eyes than a Great White, with long pectoral fins to offset its bulk. Despite their purported size, no complete fossil skeleton of this extinct species has yet been discovered. Rather, the primary source of information comes from the survival of their fossilized teeth. A fully-grown adult would have had over 250 such teeth at any one time.
The tooth of a Megalodon is immediately identifiable by its broad triangular shape with serrated edges, running atop a thick bifurcated root. Particularly fine specimens such as the present selection have been discovered at the bottom of saltwater creeks across North America. Elsewhere, teeth or dental fragments have been found lodged within fossilized whale bones together with vicious bite marks; a lasting testament to the deadly capability of the Megalodon even against the largest of prey.
Contrary to the popular conception of the Megalodon as a deep-sea monster, their evolution was actually developed to survive and thrive best in warmer, subtropical waters. For approximately 20 million years the Megalodon roamed the waters of every continent except for Antarctica. This reign finally came to end around 3.6 million years ago, with the period global cooling experienced during the Pilocene era. As a result, much of their habitat was lost to dangerously low temperatures, which in turn led to insufficient fish in the food chain below.
With the species now extinct and skeletal remains exceptionally rare or undiscovered altogether, Megalodon teeth are highly decorative reminders of one of the largest and most dangerous marine creatures ever to have lived.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
Nyberg, K.G., Ciampaglio, C.N. & Wray, G.A., ‘Tracing the Ancestry of the Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, Using Morphometric Analyses of Fossil Teeth’, in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Vol.26, No.4 (2006) pp.806-814