Florida has the 'Shark Tooth Capital of the World.' 10+ beaches where you can find them

Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·2 min read

Florida is a sharky place, which sounds negative to all but shark lovers, but it’s also good for finding shark teeth.

Yes, the “Shark Bite Capital of the World” is in Florida, but so is the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World.”

Sharks lose tens of thousands of teeth in their lifetime, which makes the Sunshine State a treasure trove for beachcombers looking for shark teeth on any of Florida’s 825 miles of sandy beach.

Here’s a short list of some of the best beaches in Florida for shark tooth hunting.

Where is the best beach in Florida to find shark teeth?

Venice, Florida, located near Tampa on the Southwest Coast, boasts 14 miles of beach and is widely regarded as the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World.”

The reason why Venice’s beaches are a goldmine for shark tooth hunters is due to the history of its geography.

Millions of years ago, Florida was underwater and filled with even more sharks than it is now.

Most shark teeth that you find on the beach are fossilized and can typically range in age from 2 to 35 million years old. And Venice is located on a 35-foot-deep layer of fossils, according to the Visit Sarasota website.

What beaches in Florida have the most shark teeth?

There are three areas of Florida that are best for finding shark teeth, according to a January blog post from authenticflorida.com.

Those areas are around Venice on Florida’s Southwest coast, in Palm Beach County on the Southeast coast and in and around Jacksonville’s beaches on the Northeast coast.

Here are some specific beaches in Venice and the other beaches in Florida that are the best for shark tooth hunting in 2024, according to authenticflorida.com’s 2024 update:

  • Near and around Venice: Venice Beach, Casey Key, Manasota Key – Englewood beach

  • Around Palm Beach County: Boca Raton, Palm Beach Island Beaches, Singer Island, Jupiter Island

  • Near and around Jacksonville: St Augustine Beach, Mikler’s Landing Beach Ponte Vedra, Jacksonville Beaches, Amelia Island

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Shark tooth hunting in Florida: Here are the best beaches to find them