World United States Florida Venice

Mike and Lorraine's FL Trip 2011-2012

Shark (Teeth) Hunting Mar 7, 2012

Today we had a really great day and a new experience. Our “across the street” neighbors, Cindy and Dave DeChano, invited us to go to Venice to look for shark teeth. We went to “Sharkey’s” which is a restaurant on the pier at Venice beach, where we met Cindy’s cousin Ellen and her husband Steve. Thankfully, we arrived a bit before the lunch crowd completely took over the place and had a wonderful lunch. Then we walked farther out onto the pier, and the guys rented what Dave calls, “Florida Snow Shovels” to shovel and sift sand to look for the shark teeth. We drove a short distance down the beach to Casperson Park Beach, where the guys went into the water (knee depth) and retrieved a shovel full of sand for the gals to sift through. We were successful, and at the end of the day, I had a baggie with 62 teeth! While there, we met an older gentleman with bag full of huge shark teeth from prehistoric Megalodons. The teeth were approximately 4” to 5” long and 3” to 4” wide. He explained that he gathers the teeth by diving in 35 feet of water about a mile off shore. These teeth can be worth $200 to $4000, depending on size and condition. The shark teeth are black, brown, or gray, depending on the minerals in the soil in which they have been buried, and they usually range in size from one eighth inch to three inches. Sharks of all species continually shed their teeth and grow new ones. They have 40 or more teeth in each jaw. Behind the functional rows or teeth are seven other rows of teeth developing into mature dentures to replace teeth as they are shed or lost. In ten years, an average Tiger shark can produce as many as 24,000 teeth. Dead sharks sink to the ocean floor where they are covered by layers of sand and silt. Over time, the cartilage of their bodies disintegrates. Water and storm action eventually sweeps the sand away, exposing the teeth. Some are washed up on shore with the changing tides and waves. Besides sharks’ teeth, fossils of other marine creatures are also found in this area. Because millions of years ago most of Florida was under water, many fossils are found inland as well as on the beaches. We spent about 2 1/2 hours sifting sand and enjoying the sun, fresh sea air, and the beautiful beach. This whole area is a park with beautiful sand, picnic areas, and is safe for swimming. It was a nice day.

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