SARASOTA, Fla. ( WWSB ) - Venice is known as the shark tooth capital of the world, with people coming from near and far to look for teeth every day.

So why are there so many shark teeth? Dr. Harry Maisch , a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says it’s because of the environment, with a lot of shallow marine deposits that are exposed very close to the coast. The storms and currents also push the fossils our direction.

Dr. Maisch recently published a study on his fossil findings in Venice.

Venice fossil shark study documents 45 species off Florida coast

“The recent study focuses on the fossil sharks and rays in Venice... It documents 45 different species, based on their teeth. Out of the 45 species, 8 of them are globally extinct, including megalodon, the megatooth shark. T

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