THE SHARKS

Sand Tiger
Carcharias cuspidata (Agassiz)?*

Age - Miocene  Occurrence - Very common

The teeth of Carcharias cuspidata are a common find in NJ.  These teeth are large and robust, reaching two inches plus with a smooth lingual surface. There is a large diversity in this group which is further compounded by differences between the upper and lower teeth. Except for the very front anterior teeth the root lobes of Carcharias cuspidata do not have the acute angle characteristic of the sand tigers. Instead the roots form a distinctive  “U” shape. Anterior teeth posse reduced cusplets . Lateral teeth have a flatter root, more obtusely splayed root lobes and a strong nutrient groove. There is a large diversity in the cusplets of the lateral teeth, ranging from pointed, to triangular, to low and serrated. The cutting edge of C. cuspidata is near complete on the anterior teeth and complete on the laterals.

 Please note the additional comments at the bottom of this page. 

Carcharias cuspidata displays a wide range of tooth forms.
Top 2 rows - Anterior teeth
Bottom 2 rows - Lateral teeth

Scale 1 inch
Monmouth County, NJ
 

Only the very front anterior teeth have the acute angle of the root lobes so
characteristic of the sand tigers.
Differences between the upper and lower jaw can be significant,
pictured on the left is the lower jaw first anterior tooth, on the right the upper.
 

Except for the very front teeth the roots on the anterior teeth form
 a distinctive "U" shape.
Anterior tooth lingual and labial views.
 

The upper lateral teeth are distally inclined while lower laterals are straight or only
 slightly inclined. The crown on the lowers tends to be narrow. Both upper and
 lower laterals have a complete cutting edge.
 

The cusplets on the lateral teeth can range from serrated to triangular,
 pointed to low.
 

Large C. Cuspidata lateral teeth are not an uncommon find. Although the roots
on these large teeth seem very prone to stream wear.
Monmouth County, NJ
 

Scan gives a good perspective of the various tooth sizes.
 

* Carcharias cuspidata has such a large diversity of tooth forms that it makes for a convenient dumping ground. There are a number of rarer species from NJ which are not described on this website which could erroneously be identified as Carcharias cuspidata based on the current description. For that reason, I'm going to leave C. cuspidata with a question mark.
Note: Many people simply use Carcharias sp. to describe C. cuspidata like teeth. A far safer and possibly wiser decision.

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