🌍 Top 10 Most Famous Megalodon Tooth Sites in the World
For fossil hunters and collectors, few finds are as thrilling as finding a Megalodon tooth. These massive fossil shark teeth, fossils from a 60-foot prehistoric apex predator, are found worldwide in ancient marine sediments. Every location where megalodon teeth are found can offer some unique characteristics to each tooth. St. Mary's River, as an example, offers brown and deep red teeth due to the iron-enriched minerals that surrounded the teeth during the fossilization process. Indonesia, like others, offers some of the most beautiful and pristine megalodon teeth that you can find on the market today.
So, whether you’re diving into Florida’s rivers, exploring Carolina waterways, or hunting landsites, here are the Top 10 Most Famous Sites to Find Fossil Megalodon Teeth, where history, geology, and adventure come together.
Peace River, Florida (USA)
The Peace River near west-central Florida is one of the best-known fossil-collecting destinations in the United States. This river winds through phosphate-rich sediments dating back to the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, which were a prime time for Megalodon activity. Megalodon teeth here can range in a variety of colors and qualities. From your standard grays, blacks, browns, and even light blues. To heavily river worn, to pristine teeth that look like they just came out of the shark's mouth. You never know what you're going to find when hunting for teeth from this massive apex predator.
Above is an example of a small Megalodon tooth found on the Peace River.
Collectors can also find a variety of other fossils alongside megalodon teeth. Everything from small fossil shark teeth to large, mammoth tusks, teeth, and bones. Other species may include Hemipristis, Mako, and Great White shark teeth, as well as other mammal fossils like horse, mastodon, giant sloth, etc.
Not only can you find megalodon teeth on the Peace River, but you can also hunt so many small creeks that branch off of the Peace as well. Now, certain creeks may offer more fossil shark teeth than others, but it really depends on the layers that cut through them. For example, if a creek cuts through the Miocene layer, you'll find more fossil shark teeth like Megalodon teeth, Hemipristis, Mako, etc. If you find a creek that cuts through the Pleistocene layer, you'll find more mammal fossils like mammoth, mastodon, horse, giant sloth, and so on.
Typical Finds: Megalodon teeth from 1.5" to over 4", black to brown phosphate-coated enamel. Hemipristis, Hastalis Mako, Fossil Great white, and mammal fossils such as mammoth, mastodon, giant sloth, three-toed horse, etc.
Collecting Method: Sifting gravel bars with screens during the dry season (January–May). Scuba diving or snorkeling is also popular in the shallower stretches of the river.
Accessibility: Public access points near Wauchula and Arcadia; fossil permits required for river collecting. Especially for mammal fossils.
Venice Beach, Florida (USA)
Nicknamed the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World,” Venice Beach is one of the easiest and most family-friendly fossil hunting locations in the U.S. Megalodon teeth continually wash ashore here due to wave action, exposing offshore fossil layers.
While most beach finds are small (under 2”), diving just offshore reveals larger Megalodon teeth, prehistoric whale bones, and sometimes rare mammal fossils such as Mammoth and Mastodon teeth in the underlying Peace River Formation. Local charters offer guided dives where collectors frequently find larger 4–5" megs. Venice can offer some of the best and worst diving conditions when hunting megalodon teeth. It really just depends on the time of the year. But it definitely beats diving in South Carolina or Georgia.
Some popular local Venice, Florida charters include:
- Aquanutz Diving
- Black Gold Fossil Charters
- DustyDiscoveries Fossil Charters
- Top2Bottom Offshore Charters
While you can take one of the above charters to go find your own megalodon tooth, you can also snorkel or even dive from one of Venice's famous beaches. Casperson and Manasota Beach are both popular destinations for sifting, snorkeling, and diving.
Above is an example of a small hubbell megalodon tooth found offshore in Venice, Florida
Typical Finds: Black, blue, or gray enamel fossil shark teeth & mammal fossils.
Collecting Method: Shoreline sifting, shallow diving 1–3 miles offshore, charter diving (further offshore to hit those rich fossil beds).
Accessibility: Public beaches; no permit required for surface collecting, scuba diving charters.
Bone Valley, Florida (USA)
The legendary Bone Valley Formation in central Florida has produced some of the most colorful and perfectly preserved Megalodon teeth ever found (minus the ones with feeding tip damage, of course). These fossils were preserved in phosphate mines active during the early to mid-1900s, though collecting there today is restricted to existing private property digs or old spoil piles. If you're found trespassing on their property, you can be hit with a hefty fine and a felony. In my opinion, megalodon teeth, no matter the size, quality, or color, are not worth that risk.
Bone Valley Megalodon teeth are famous among collectors for their pastel blue, orange, white, and green hues, smooth enamel, and excellent serrations. They’re often smaller than ocean finds but much rarer and highly valuable due to their unique coloration. Especially if the megalodon tooth is higher quality or larger in size.
Above are a couple of examples of the beauty of a Bone Valley Megalodon tooth.
Typical Finds: Blue, orange, white, or green Megalodon teeth (averaging 2–4"), perfect enamel and serrations most of the time, but not always.
Accessibility: Private land only; specimens are primarily available through fossil dealers or mine workers.
South Carolina Rivers (USA)
The Cooper, Edisto, and Ashley Rivers in South Carolina are world-renowned for producing some of the largest, darkest, and most beautifully serrated Megalodon teeth ever found. These blackwater rivers cut through phosphate-rich sediments dating back 10+ million years.
Divers often find megalodon teeth ranging from 3 inches to massive 6-inch specimens in pitch-black waters, alongside fossils of whales, dolphins, and other mammal fossils. The meg teeth here are usually dark black to gray due to heavy phosphate mineralization and can range from pristine to heavily worn. Collecting megalodon teeth here tends to be more dangerous due to the higher currents that some of these waterways produce and the inches of visibility that you normally have to deal with. Even with the dangers, divers who explore these waterways are often rewarded with some incredible megs.
Typical Finds: Large black, gray, or dark brown Megalodon teeth, intact or worn serrations.
Collecting Method: Scuba diving with mesh bags and sifting tools.
Accessibility: Dive-only; experienced divers recommended due to currents and visibility.
If you want to learn more, check out this awesome article by Rachel Plunkett: What It's Like to Fossil Dive in South Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina (USA)
Off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina, are fossil-rich areas along the Atlantic coastal plain. Offshore ledges and local riverbanks expose layers of the Pliocene Yorktown Formation, where Megalodon teeth and other prehistoric fossils are frequently discovered. This location is one of the heavier locations where divers bring up bags of larger, but lesser in quality, fossil megalodon and other fossil shark teeth. You can see an abundance of this on the fossil market today.
This region has yielded megalodon teeth in a variety of earthy colors, from tan and caramel to dark gray and brown, and some still have sharp or semi-sharp serrations, but most don't. Diving off Wilmington offers some of the clearest water visibility for megalodon tooth hunters on the East Coast. However, the depth is a bit extreme for most divers (80-120 feet). Being nitrox certified or even having a rebreather is often recommended for this location for a longer bottom time and the highest yield of megalodon teeth.
Typical Finds: Medium to large Megalodon teeth (3–6”), tan, orange-brown to gray enamel.
Collecting Method: Mostly offshore diving; limited riverbank collecting.
Accessibility: Dive charters available; permits may apply for some river access.
Above is a classic example of a megalodon tooth found offshore of Wilmington, North Carolina
Calvert Cliffs, Maryland (USA)
The Calvert Cliffs along Chesapeake Bay are a fossil hunter’s dream, with 15+ miles of Miocene-age marine deposits constantly eroding and revealing new fossils every day. The cliffs are part of the Calvert Formation, one of the richest Miocene fossil beds in North America, and our next megalodon tooth hotspot destination that's on our list.
While Megalodon teeth here are typically smaller (1–3”), the diversity of species is unmatched. Great White, Hemi, Thresher, Tiger, Sand Tiger, and Lemon sharks are all represented, along with fossil whale bones and turtle shells. This location can be difficult to get to, especially with the limited access to the more fossil-rich areas of the ledge where megalodon teeth can be found. Tides are also an important thing to keep track of when trying to hunt here. So, keep that in mind.
Typical Finds: Small to medium Megalodon teeth (1–3”), colors can vary from gray to tan.
Collecting Method: Surface collecting along the beach below the cliff faces; no digging permitted.
Accessibility: Public access at Brownie’s Beach and Calvert Cliffs State Park. You can also take a boat up to the beach if you have one.
Above is a great example of a megalodon tooth found in Calvert Cliffs, Maryland
Savannah River, Georgia (USA)
The Savannah River, flowing between Georgia and South Carolina, is a hidden gem for Megalodon tooth divers. Its fossil-rich sediments date back millions of years, containing both Megalodon teeth and other prehistoric marine species like whales, dolphins, etc.
Divers often recover large, heavy Megalodon teeth with dark coloration due to high phosphate content. Savannah is particularly known for pristine meg teeth with intact enamel, sharp serrations, and solid roots, making them popular among collectors. Some megalodon teeth can even come loaded with pyrite embedded within the bourlette, enamel, and roots, making them even more valuable and desirable.
Typical Finds: 2–6” teeth, black, gray, tan to deep brown coloration.
Collecting Method: Mainly Blackwater diving.
Accessibility: Dive-only; permits or charters recommended.
Above is a phenomenal example of a pyritized fossil megalodon tooth from Savannah, Georgia.
Peru (Ocucaje Desert)
The Ocucaje Desert in southern Peru is one of the world’s most productive fossil regions for Megalodon teeth and prehistoric marine mammals. Once part of an ancient seabed, this desert preserves massive quantities of Miocene and Pliocene fossils.
Peruvian Megalodon teeth are known for their orange, tan, and caramel hues with some whites and blacks, caused by unique iron-rich mineralization. These megs are often large and visually stunning, prized by collectors for their desert polish and rarity due to strict export laws that were put in place.
Typical Finds: Small, Medium, and Large 3–7” megalodon teeth, reds, whites, blacks, caramel, and gold tones, high mineral density.
Accessibility: Restricted area; legal collecting is limited to licensed excavations. No exports are allowed.
Above is a beautiful example of a Peruvian megalodon tooth and the colors that can come from this location
Indonesia (Java)
Indonesia’s Java fossil beds have become one of the most prolific modern sources for Megalodon teeth on the market. Found in phosphate-rich layers, these teeth are often extremely large, some exceeding 6 inches, and have distinctive color variations ranging from rich chocolate browns, tans, blues, to marbled grays.
Collectors value Indonesian Megalodon teeth for their size, enamel and serration preservation, and affordability, as many reach the market through ethical private dig operations. But be wary of fakes, repaired, and restored meg teeth that are on the market. Some looked like ridiculous art projects.
If you're curious about how to spot fakes, restored, or repaired megalodon teeth, be sure to read our other blog about it. How to spot repaired and restored megalodon teeth.
Typical Finds: 4–6” teeth, brown, tan, or gray enamel with glossy mineral finish.
Accessibility: Private excavations only; most specimens are exported via fossil dealers.
Above is a great example of a megalodon tooth from Indonesia.
Chile (Atacama Desert)
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile once formed part of a prehistoric ocean basin rich in marine life. Today, it yields well-preserved Megalodon teeth alongside whale vertebrae, dolphin fossils, and marine reptile remains.
Megalodon teeth from this region are rare in the open market due to strict export laws, but museum-quality megs show excellent serration detail and natural tan to brown hues. These specimens are often sought after by collectors due to the ban on any fossils and artifacts. Whether megalodon teeth are still coming out of the country due to illegal smuggling is yet to be known.
Typical Finds: 3–6” teeth, light tan to brown enamel, sharp serrations.
Accessibility: Protected fossil zone; collecting requires authorization.
Final Thoughts
From Florida’s Peace River to Peru’s ancient desert seabeds, every Megalodon tooth locality tells a story about Earth’s prehistoric oceans. These fossil sites are more than just collecting grounds; they’re portals to the Miocene and Pliocene world, where a 60-foot apex predator hunted whales and shaped marine ecosystems for millions of years.
Whether you’re a diver, collector, or first-time enthusiast, owning a Megalodon tooth from one of these world-famous sites connects you directly to that ancient history.
Written by: Brandon Zulli, owner of fossildriven.com
Related Reading
Want to learn more about fossil shark teeth? Check out these other posts:
- Where Are Fossil Megalodon Teeth Found?
- How to Spot Repaired or Restored Fossil Teeth
- How Fossil Shark Teeth Are Priced
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