Folks in the know will tell you that if you want to find an abundance of fossilized sharks teeth, the place to visit is beautiful Venice Florida. This lovely Gulf Coast city is filled with charm, from its Mediterranean Revival architecture that lines the older streets, to the swaying palm trees overhead.
Sharks teeth are old. How old? Millions of years old. So don’t think of these as coming from some toothless old shark that is swimming around today. The majority of the shark’s teeth that you will find are nearly black, but there are others that are pale grey or pale brown. They are usually wishbone shaped, and the majority of them are under a half inch in size. If you find larger ones, you have found a real prize.
A “Venice Snow Shovel” or a Sharks Tooth Sieve
How do you find sharks teeth?
Similar to finding sea shells, locate a beach, and focus on the sand at your feet. Or go into the water and look at the area where the sea meets the sand. Or head out just a bit deeper, and scoop up some of the sand, and sift through it.
Recommended sifting tools:
- Your hands
- Toy sand strainer
- Kitchen strainer
- Kitty litter scooper
- Sharks tooth floating sifter (you can buy these locally)
- Sharks tooth Sieve (locals call these Venice Snow Shovels)
The best time to look for shark’s teeth is at low tide, since there is more exposed beach then, and in the morning when the beach finds are still fresh, and on a weekday when the beaches are less busy, and after a storm which may have put a lot of new things on the shore.
Best Beaches to Find Sharks Teeth
Venice Fishing Pier’s beach is a great place to look. The beach has been known to yield up handfuls of shark’s teeth in just an hour or so of searching, given the right conditions. Even on a thin day you will probably come home with some nice examples.
Service Club Beach is near the airport and has a smallish parking lot that fills up pretty fast. It also has comfort facilities and picnic shelters. The shark’s teeth sleuthing is very good here.
If you take your dog along, head for Brohard Paw Park, south of Maxine Barritt Park. Just south of the Paw Park is South Brohard Park, a less well known beach with walkway access to the beach where shark’s teeth await you.
Caspersen Beach is busy and poplar on weekends and the high winter season, but all week long the rocky shoreline beckons for your treasure hunting. The parking is free but fills up fast. Some of the access points are under construction now, so walk carefully. Travelers should definitely look in the surf and the shoreline at Caspersen Beach.
@jdalles with one of the treasures he found! #sharktooth #caspersenbeach #lovefl
A photo posted by Annie Sandoval (@sannedoval) on
Manasota Beach, just a bit south of Caspersen Beach, is also popular with fossil shark’s teeth hunters. Look down at the sidewalk as you walk along and you will see that there are shark’s teeth in the concrete sidewalk! Keep a sharp eye out; one of our family members does great looking in the gravel parking lots scattered here and there around town, since the gravel was once under water.
If you’re looking for a restaurant nearby, have a meal at Sharky’s, of course!
