Carcharias taurus

Carcharias taurus is the scientific name of the Grey Nurse shark.

Teeth
The dentition of Carcharias taurus has been extensively studied and is well known. The anterior teeth have long and slender cusps (sigmoid in profile) with lateral cusplets. The lingual face is strongly convex and bears irregular folds. The labial face is flat and smooth and the cutting edge is incomplete. The root is high with well-separated lobes, a prominent lingual protuberance and sharp nutrient groove. The lateral teeth are shorter, broader (particularly at the base) and flatter (more blade-like), and bear a cutting-edge which reaches the lateral cusplets (one or two pair). The strong folds or wrinkles seen in anterior teeth weaken significantly or disappear. The root lobes are more widely separated and the root-face flatter. Well over a dozen posterior files are present (per side). These teeth are short and relatively thick and gradate distally from a low cusp with lateral cusplets to a non-cuspidate design.

Fossil teeth, sometimes from isolated positions and at other times intermixed, have formed the basis for new species. The quantity of described taxa is overwhelming, so the focus will be limited to Eastern North America.