Fabulous fossil find
Dr Terry Hutter
holds up the
fossilised Megaladon
tooth Ttooth2
Tanya
Waterworth
FOR the first time
in Africa, a tooth
belonging to a
prehistoric
Megaladon shark has
been discovered.
The tooth, which
would put those of
the infamous ‘Jaws’
to shame, was found
in Richards Bay.
According to
American Fulbright
scholar, Dr Terry
Hutter, the tooth is
the elusive piece of
evidence finally
proving the
existence of the
giant sharks in
oceans off the coast
of Africa.
‘We were in the
office on Tuesday,
when a Richards Bay
resident, in
response to a
Zululand Observer
article, brought in
this tooth which he
found just outside
the harbour.
‘I examined the
tooth and there is
no doubt at all that
it came from the
ancient Megaladon
shark.
‘This evidence
proves that the
Megaladon was a
global predator as
other teeth have
been found in
Argentina, Chile,
the Americas and
western Europe.
‘From a scientific
point of view, there
was a high
probability of
discovering
fossilised remains
of the Megaladon
along the African
coastline, and it
has been found right
here at Richards
Bay,’ said Hutter.
He added the finding
will provide a huge
opportunity for
research.
‘Zululand is sitting
on a fossil gold
mine. ‘This find
could create
opportunity for over
20 doctoral
dissertations, 50
master’s thesis and
100 honours papers,’
he said.
Hutter said, in his
opinion, the fossil
was a posterior
tooth, some 10 to 15
million years old
falling within the
Tertiary period and
probably belonged to
a shark that was not
fully grown.
Origin
It is believed the
first sharks existed
some 450 million
years ago during the
Devonian period.
Believed to be the
largest carnivore to
have ever existed,
the Megaladon was an
immense predator,
that fed on whales.
They are estimated
to have been 20
metres in length and
weighed in at 48 000
kilograms. The
extinction of the
Megaladon is said to
be due to whale
populations moving
to colder waters
