Cool Poop (page 11)
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COOL POOP

(page 11)

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A fossil shark tooth such as this would cost much more today than the $16 that I paid for it 5 years ago. It belonged to a prehistoric shark of the genus/species Carcharodon megalodon, and is between 2 and 10 million years old. Though it is missing a substantial amount of its enamel, its edges are complete and show only a very small amount of damage. Its serrations are well-preserved (see the second image), and can actually cut skin if run across it quickly with applied pressure. I think that this piece impresses my visitors and guests the most!


I thought that this smoky quartz crystal was a tremendous bargain at the 1998 Tucson shows. It is in excellent condition, showing almost no damage, and has excellent form. It is odd in that 3 of its 6 faces (all which are "opposing", or not arranged adjacent to each other) are smooth and normally striated, wheras the other 3 are finely but intensely patterned (see the close-up image). It is also incredibly clear!


This smaller shark tooth is not nearly as impressive as the larger, aformentioned one on this page, but is actually much more unusual. It is of similar background to the larger tooth, but its fossilization was much different. Whereas most such megalodon teeth are black, dark gray, or dark brown in color, this one has a creamy, off-white coloration. Likewise, its density is much less than normal, so that a "dark" tooth of similar size would be quite a bit heavier. I believe that these traits are due to fossilization with phosphate minerals, instead of carbonate minerals, though I am not certain.

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