Shark teeth contain oxygen, which can react with surrounding minerals to create colors over time. Fossilized shark teeth have had at least 10,000 years for this oxidation to take effect, so they’re often black, deep red, brown, grey, or another similar dark color. This varies based on the environment that the tooth has fossilized in, because different sediments contain minerals that create different colors through oxidization.  Shark teeth that are found in areas that contain iron oxide, such as parts of New Jersey, tend to have an orange or red coloring. Shark teeth found in areas that contain a lot of phosphate, such as Venice Beach, Florida, tend to be black, as phosphate is a dense, black mineral. Modern teeth haven’t yet been exposed to the minerals in surrounding sediments for the 10,000 years that it takes to cause oxidation. As a result, these teeth are typically white, and usually appear much like they did when they were in the mouth of the shark they came from. Try determining the general age of the tooth by observing its anatomy and finding out what kind of species it came from. While many shark teeth that you may find can come from sharks like tiger sharks and great white sharks that exist today, you could find one that comes from an extinct species. If you notice that the anatomy of a tooth matches that of an extinct species, the tooth is extremely old. The megalolamna paradoxodon is one example of an extinct shark species that you could possibly find the teeth of.. While you can certainly find fossilized shark teeth at the beach, both modern and fossilized teeth are frequently found in this location. If you find a tooth significantly inland, then there’s a high chance that it’s very old because it would take a long time for the tooth to be moved far away from the ocean by the elements. For instance, if you find a shark tooth in a creek that’s 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) inland, it’s probably a fossilized tooth.
تعرف على حفريات الأسنان بلونها الداكن. تعرف على الأسنان الحديثة بلونها الفاتح. حدد نوع القرش واعرف إذا ما كان مُنقرضًا أم لا. اعرف أن الأسنان التي تجدها بعيدًا عن الشاطئ هي أسنان عتيقة للغاية.