Prehistoric shark teeth go up for auction ONE BIG BITE

Associated Press

DALLAS

An unprecedented collection of 182 ferocious prehistoric shark teeth, assembled on gaping jaws large enough to swallow several humans whole, is set to be auctioned in Texas.

The teeth are those of the ancient Megalodon, a massive killer shark whose name literally means “big tooth” in Greek. The predators trolled warm ocean waters 1.5 million to 25 million years ago, growing longer than the size of one or possibly two city buses and eating whales and dolphins for snacks.

Each tooth was collected by amateur fossil hunter Vito Bertucci, who spent nearly two decades plucking Megalodon teeth from the shores of South Carolina and Georgia before he was killed in a 2004 diving accident. He was 47.

“He lived for this, and he also died for it,” said his brother, Joseph Bertucci, a beverage manager at a beach club in Long Island who wears a shark’s tooth on a gold necklace that his brother made for him. “Sharks’ teeth were his passion.”

The 9-by-11 foot jaws being sold in June by Heritage Auctions in Dallas — starting bid, $625,000 — are the biggest of several jaws Vito Bertucci made with the Megalodon teeth he collected over the years. It is billed by Heritage as “the largest set of prehistoric shark jaws ever assembled.”

The collection has four teeth more than 7 inches long, which is rare, said Peter Wiggins, assistant director of Heritage’s natural history auctions. He said while the jaws themselves are made from Plexiglas, the teeth are fossils the likes of which have individually sold for $10,000 to $15,000 in recent years.

Some scientists, however, question the accuracy of the jaws’ size and tooth placement. A professional jeweler, Vito Bertucci used his talent for casting and molding to place the fossilized teeth into what he thought would be their proper position on the massive jaws, his brother said.

Shark fossil expert Kenshu Shimada at DePaul University said it appears the large front teeth, taken from several Megalodons, are repeated too many times and the rate of decline to smaller teeth is much slower than it should be.

Joseph Bertucci said his brother was always proud of the jaws he made.

The jaws being sold by Heritage are on display at the Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas, where they will stay until the auction.

When Denise Lee, 35, of Garland, Texas pointed out the wide open shark’s mouth as she toured the exhibit with family and friends, 4-year-old Birt Finney had just one question.

“Are we going in?” he asked hopefully.