Crocodile teeth are fossilized remains typically found in fluvial or estuarine sedimentary deposits. They are easily identified by their conical shape, varying degrees of enamel preservation, and distinctive longitudinal striations along the crown.
Is this crocodile tooth?
4-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch crocodile tooth with a known reference. Crocodile Tooth sits at Mohs 3-5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Name the organismDecide what left the fossil before worrying about the rock. Organism: Crocodilians (order Crocodylia). Age: Late Cretaceous (about 83.5 million years ago) to recent.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: dull to waxy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brown, tan, black, gray.
Often confused with
Crocodile Tooth vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside crocodile tooth
Minerals reported to co-occur with crocodile tooth. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3-5
- Density
- 2.5-3.0 g/cm³
- Luster
- Dull to waxy
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Educational
- Host rock
- sedimentary deposits
- Organism
- Crocodilians (order Crocodylia)
- Age
- Late Cretaceous (about 83.5 million years ago) to recent
Where rockhounds find crocodile tooth
Classic worldwide localities
- Morocco
- USA (Florida)
- USA (South Carolina)
- Egypt
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: sedimentary deposits. If you start seeing calcite, pyrite, quartz in float, you are in the right ground.
More crocodile tooth photos
Common questions
How do you identify crocodile tooth?+
Where is crocodile tooth found?+
What rocks look like crocodile tooth?+
What minerals are found with crocodile tooth?+
What kind of rock does crocodile tooth form in?+
What is crocodile tooth used for?+
Find crocodile tooth on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
