SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Venice is known as the shark tooth capital of the world, with people coming from near and far to look for teeth every day.
So why are there so many shark teeth? Dr. Harry Maisch, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says it's because of the environment, with a lot of shallow marine deposits that are exposed very close to the coast. The storms and currents also push the fossils our direction.
Dr. Maisch recently published a study on his fossil findings in Venice.
Venice fossil shark study documents 45 species off Florida coast
"The recent study focuses on the fossil sharks and rays in Venice... It documents 45 different species, based on their teeth. Out of the 45 species, 8 of them are globally extinct, including megalodon, the megatooth shark. There are three other species that are not present in the Gulf anymore. They're still around in the world, but not here in the Gulf." Dr. Maisch explains.
Not only has Dr. Maisch discovered centuries-old shark and ray teeth, but he has also unearthed something you might not expect - a Columbian Mammoth tooth!
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One beachgoer, Mariah Morgan, says she grew up coming to Venice searching for shark teeth, and now she wants to pass that tradition on to her own children. In just ten minutes, they found their very first tooth!
"Honestly, it's really cool, it's kind of like you're looking for a needle in a haystack! It's really fun, we've already found one... this like this big (very small). Just trying to find them!- Morgan