THE SHARKS

Snaggeltooth
Hemipristis serra (Agassiz)

Age - Miocene  Commonality - Less common

The upper and lower anterior teeth of the snaggeltooth shark (Hemipristis serra) differ so much that in some early reference material they were listed as difference species. It is the upper anterior teeth and laterals, with their large serrations, that are so popular with collectors. The lower anterior teeth served as more of a grasping tooth. The crown is long and pointy with small cusplets or serrations at the base of the crown. The lateral teeth have a curved crown with coarse serrations, uppers and lowers in the laterals are very similar and difficult to tell apart. The teeth of Hemipristis serra average about 1 inch, with a maximum size of about 1 1/2 inches.

This is the nicest NJ "Hemi" I've found so far.

Monmouth County, NJ.
 

Lingual, labial and profile view of the same tooth.
Lateral, Monmouth County, NJ.

In the lower anterior teeth, the serrations near the base of the crown have a wide degree of variation.
 In some cases they are completely absent.

Collected by Cris C. from Florida.
 

Upper anterior tooth with the distinctive coarse serrations.

Calvert Cliffs, MD
 

An assortment of Hemipristis serra teeth from Monmouth
County, NJ.
 

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