Hunting for Shark Teeth in Venice Beach

If you’re looking to find shark teeth and other fossils, there’s no better place to do it in Florida than Venice.

 

The Shark Teeth Capital of Florida

The Peace River and Myakka Rivers are great shark teeth and fossil hunting venues, but the epicenter is Venice Beach, we hunted at Caspersen Beach. Millions of years ago, when Florida was underwater, the area was teeming with sharks. Over time, the water eventually receded and the prehistoric sharks died – their skeletons eventually turned to dust, but their teeth remain.

 

 

Today this has become part of the identity of Venice. So much so that you can see the shark tooth on the sign for the beach (pictured above), they host a shark tooth festival every year, a trendy local restaurant that pays homage to it (where we enjoyed a great meal) is called Sharky’s and even the parking lot sidewalks are full of teeth.

 

 

How to Find Shark Teeth 

Simply walking along the seashore you can find fossilized shark teeth and various bones, but the most effective way (and the way that will save you from straining your neck), is to use a sifting rig right in the surf line where there are shell and gravel deposits. Below is the simplest way to sift, you can purchase the sifter off Amazon or build one yourself.

You can use anything from a shovel to your hands to the sifter itself, the important thing is that you load down your sifter and rinse it with water often to expose your prehistoric treasures. Many teeth are small and can sometimes fall through the mesh of your sifter, be careful!

 

Our Haul

The water was absolutely beautiful and extremely clear, no red tide here!

 

 

We all found dozens of fossils, teeth and shells which included both teeth and tooth fragments.

 

 

Wrap Up

The fact of the matter is that it is extremely easy and fun to find fossils and shark teeth in Venice, Florida, it’s beautiful and less than an hour and a half drive from Tampa, go check it out!

Finally, on your way out, check out the Snook Haven restaurant. It is right next to 275 on the Myakka River – good service, reasonably priced and right on the water!

 

 

Until next time, tight lines.