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Where to Find Shark Teeth in the USA: Map of 52 Sites

Shark Teeth has been recorded at 52 places in 13 states on the USA Rockhounding map. Florida, Maryland and Virginia have the most. 15 are marked Ready, 11 Conditional and 22 research only, so check each place’s status before you go.

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Fossil tiger shark teeth (Galeocerdo) from Florida
Fossil tiger shark teeth from Florida. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shark Teeth sites by state

StateSitesReadyState guide
Florida105Florida rockhounding map
Maryland93Maryland rockhounding map
Virginia61Virginia rockhounding map
Delaware51Delaware rockhounding map
South Carolina51South Carolina rockhounding map
Alabama41Alabama rockhounding map
New Jersey41New Jersey rockhounding map
North Carolina30North Carolina rockhounding map
Texas20Texas rockhounding map
Kansas10Kansas rockhounding map
Louisiana11Louisiana rockhounding map
Mississippi10Mississippi rockhounding map
Nebraska11Nebraska rockhounding map

Places to find shark teeth

Sorted with Ready sites first.

Why fossil shark teeth are so common

A shark sheds and replaces thousands of teeth in its lifetime, and teeth are made of hard enamel-like material that fossilises well. Wherever ancient seas covered the land, especially in the Cretaceous, Miocene and Pliocene, the sediments are full of them. Most fossil teeth are black, grey or brown because minerals from the surrounding sediment replaced the original material.

State guides: Shark teeth in Florida · Shark teeth in Maryland · New Jersey shark teeth · South Carolina shark teeth · Westmoreland shark teeth

How to identify a fossil shark tooth

  • A triangular blade with a root at the base, often with a darker, glossier blade and a lighter root.
  • Serrated edges on teeth from species such as megalodon, tiger and great white relatives; smooth edges on mako and sand tiger teeth.
  • Fossil teeth are heavier and harder than modern ones and are usually dark in colour.
  • Ray teeth look like small flat plates or pavement tiles.

Where to find shark teeth in the United States

Florida is the best-known state, especially the beaches around Venice and the Peace River near Arcadia. South Carolina’s rivers and beaches, the Chesapeake Bay shore in Maryland (such as Calvert Cliffs), fossil beaches in Virginia’s state parks, Big Brook in New Jersey, and the Aurora Fossil Museum in North Carolina are also popular. In Texas, the North Sulphur River and other Cretaceous streams produce teeth. The table above shows mapped places by state.

How to find shark teeth

  • On beaches, search the shell line at the water’s edge, especially at low tide and after storms.
  • Use a sifting screen (a quarter-inch mesh works well) in shallow water or gravel.
  • In rivers and creeks, dig gravel from bars and riffles and sift it.
  • Look for the shiny, triangular shape and dark colour among shell fragments.

Rules for collecting shark teeth

Shark teeth are vertebrate fossils, so federal land rules that protect vertebrate fossils apply in national parks and on BLM land. Florida specifically allows fossil shark and ray teeth to be collected on most state land without a permit, while other vertebrate fossils need a Florida Fossil Permit. South Carolina requires a hobby diver licence to collect fossils from its rivers. Many state parks do not allow collecting, but some, such as Westmoreland State Park in Virginia, allow collecting on a designated fossil beach.

Questions

Where is the best place to find shark teeth?

Venice, Florida, and the Peace River near Arcadia are the best-known places. South Carolina rivers, Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, Westmoreland State Park in Virginia and Big Brook in New Jersey are also popular.

Do you need a permit to collect shark teeth?

Not on most Florida state land, which allows fossil shark and ray teeth without a permit. South Carolina requires a hobby diver licence for river fossils, and many parks have their own rules.

How do you find shark teeth on the beach?

Search the shell line at the water’s edge at low tide, especially after storms, and sift sand and gravel with a quarter-inch screen.

What the map statuses mean is explained in how map statuses work; collecting rules for each kind of land are in rules by land type.

Other rocks and minerals

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Data: USA Rockhounding atlas records, checked through 2026-08-30. See all rocks and minerals.

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