Since mankind began attributing value to rare objects, remnants of sea creatures that washed up on shore have been of particularly great worth. Colorful and intricate sea shells have provided the basis for entire economies in more primitive civilizations, as have any number of other animal bones and appendages.
Among these valued remnants, shark teeth have always held a special place. These fossilized or semi-fossilized fangs wash up on some beaches with surprising regularity, allowing their finders to speculate about the size and shape of the shark who lost it. As our civilizations pivoted away from shell-and-tooth based monetary systems, collecting shark teeth became less of a job, and more of a hobby!
For modern-day shark tooth hunters and collectors, the hobby holds a unique appeal. The experience of shark tooth hunting is uniquely peaceful in general, punctuated by flashes of delight at the realization of a discovery. All things considered, this is a great hobby for those seeking a relaxing way to spend their time, from elderly retirees to busy professionals. All around, it’s just a great way to spend your free time!
Hunting shark teeth in Venice FL
If you’re looking for a good place to hunt shark teeth, you’ll find none better than Venice FL. To the unassuming observer, this town seems little different from other similar cities up and down Florida’s west coast, but it holds an exciting secret: it’s one of the best places to hunt shark teeth in the entire world!!
Now, you might be wondering why this is the case. You might be wondering how to get into shark tooth hunting too! In this article, we’ll be discussing everything you need to know about this unique hobby, and why Venice is such a great place to pick it up. All your questions will be answered, so just keep reading!
Why do the beaches in Venice have so many shark teeth?
After a bit of thought, the idea that one beach might have more shark teeth than another seems somewhat strange. The ocean is, after all, a tumultuous place, tossing and turning everything beneath its depths until nothing is near the place where it originated. That’s an understandable perception at face value, but the truth of the matter is a bit more complicated.
As far as shark teeth are concerned, the frequency with which they appear on any given beach depends on the depth of the fossil layer of the surrounding sea shelf. The fossilized shark teeth that a shark tooth hunter seeks are typically at least 10 million years old, meaning that most of them are contained in the fossil layer from that time period.
Beaches that are home to a fossil layer of greater depth than others are therefore more likely to see shark teeth wash up on shore. In the area surrounding Venice FL, this layer is over 35 feet deep in many places, providing a virtually inexhaustible source of shark teeth for hunters and collectors from all over the world.
Can you tell how big a shark was by the size of its tooth?
One of the coolest things about shark tooth collecting is that the size of the tooth correlates directly to the size of the shark that it came from. By measuring your finds and studying them to discern what species of shark they originated from, you can tell a great deal about the time period and size of the animal in question!
The basic procedure for gauging the size of a shark from its tooth is quite simple. A shark tooth has two visually distinct parts: the root (the part that is situated horizontally to the sharp end) and the enamel (the downward protruding sharp edge of the tooth). By measuring the length of the enamel in inches and then multiplying by ten, you can determine the length of the shark as measured in feet!
You also tell a lot about what the shark subsisted on while alive from the tooth. Sharks that lived primarily off of mollusks and other hard-shelled creatures had short and rounded teeth perfect for crushing the outer layers of these tasty treats. Sharks that had to pursue their prey, on the other hand, had sharp, long teeth perfect for catching and holding speedy sea creatures.
What is the biggest shark tooth ever found in Venice FL?
With all of this shark tooth measuring going on, you might be wondering how big the biggest shark tooth ever found in Venice actually is. There’s got to be a record, right? There is, as a matter of fact, and the record is mind blowing. At an enamel length of over six inches, the biggest shark tooth ever discovered in Venice is also one of the largest in the world!
Discovered by Michael Nastasio, a Venice FL native and shark tooth collector, this massive megalodon tooth clocks in at 6 and 1/16 inches. Using the formula listed above, this tells us that the length of the shark from which it originated was over sixty feet long! Compare that to the maximum length of a great white shark and you have an overall length nearly three times greater than the megalodon’s modern day relative!
While this is the biggest shark tooth ever found in Venice FL, it’s still not the world record holder. That honor goes to a behemoth 7.5” fossil found under the surf of the beaches of Peru. With a weight greater than some modern species of shark, the length of this tooth dictates that the shark it came from was roughly seventy feet in length. Jason Statham, eat your heart out!
Moving to the shark tooth capital of the world
Now, by this point, we hope we’ve piqued your interest in shark tooth hunting. The best part about this hobby is that there are so many different ways to enjoy it. You don’t need any equipment to get into the hobby, as shark teeth can be found littered across the beach. If you know how to SCUBA dive, on the other hand, you can find even larger examples by striking out under the waves!
Beyond its reputation as a great place to find shark teeth, Venice is also known as a great place to live. With thousands of happy residents and a long list of salacious perks that befall newcomers, those seeking a new home might just find it in this beautiful little city. From its low crime rates to its surprisingly lively job market, this might just be the place you were looking for all along!
If you’re interested in making this city your home, you’ll need to get in touch with one of the real estate agents in Venice FL. These skilled, experienced real estate professionals are your best bet when it comes to making your home in the shark tooth capital of the world. With their help, you’ll be settled into a home that suits your needs and your budget in no time!
