Georgia Fossil

Cretaceous - Miocene, Shark Tooth

(undetermined)

Adopted in 1976.

Georgia's official state fossil is the Cretaceous - Miocene, Shark Tooth. It was adopted in 1976. Sharks have skeletons composed of cartilage rather than bone, so usually the only fossilized remains they leave are their teeth. These teeth are produced and continually shed in a conveyor-belt fashion, and an individual shark may produce 10,000 teeth during its lifetime. Many types of sharks lived in prehistoric Georgia, ranging from small Cretaceous forms to large, fierce Miocene species. Sharks as a group appeared during the Ordovician, but the earliest teeth found in Georgia date from the Late Cretaceous, about 65 million years ago

Probably one of the most sought-after fossils by amateur collectors, the shark tooth is a relatively common fossil in the Georgia coastal plain. In fossil form, the shark tooth can be traced back 375,000,000 years. Fossilized shark teeth are found in a range of colors--from the more common blacks and grays to whites, browns, blues and reddish browns.

State Fossils

Most US states have made a state fossil designation, in many cases during the 1980s. It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has occurred, rather than a single specimen, or a category of fossils not limited to a single species.

Some states that lack a "state fossil" have nevertheless singled out a fossil for formal designation such as a state dinosaur, rock, gem or stone.

fossil (fŏs'əl)
n.
1. A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust.
2. One, such as a rigid theory, that is outdated or antiquated.

adj.
1. Characteristic of or having the nature of a fossil.
2. Being or similar to a fossil.
3. Belonging to the past; antiquated.

[From Latin fossilis, dug up, from fossus, past participle of fodere, to dig.]

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