Shark-tooth pattern

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Revision as of 18:58, November 28, 2022 by AlexBot2004 (talk | contribs) (→‎In {{NH|short|nolink}}: Removing group (standalone fossil))
Shark-tooth pattern
NH Shark-Tooth Pattern Museum.jpg
The shark-tooth pattern in the museum in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Scientific name
Heliocoprion
Main appearances

Name in other languages
 サメのはのかせき
 鲨鱼牙齿化石
 鯊魚牙齒化石
 상어 이빨 화석
 Mandibule d'hélicoprion
 Mandibule d'hélicoprion
 Mandíbula de tiburón
 Mandíbula de tiburón
 Mandibola di elicoprione
 Зубы ископаемой акулы
 Haizahnspirale
 Haaientandkrans

The shark-tooth pattern (known as the shark tooth prior to New Horizons) is a standalone fossil introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World that appears in all subsequent games.

At the museum

In Wild World

"It is believed that sharks existed long before even dinosaurs appeared... However, a shark's skeleton is made from cartilage and is softer than bone. As a result, very few have survived as fossils, eh wot? Fortunately, we CAN research them when we find a shark tooth. Ah! Oh, so very sorry! I... I cannot help it, really. And that's the tooth! Hoo!"

In City Folk

"Capital! Unheard of! What a first-rate fossil! Sharks were actually around a long time before dinosaurs appeared on the scene, eh wot? They developed into the perfect predator, and since then they haven't changed a smidgen!"

In New Leaf

After donating the fossil in New Leaf, its plaque in the museum will read:

"The fossilized shark tooth has a distinctive serrated edge, like a steak knife. Sharks have existed since before the dinosaurs, but their appearance seems to have hardly changed at all. Their age actually puts them at a time even before plants had fully propagated over every continent."

In New Horizons

"This shark-tooth pattern comes from the lower jaw of an ancient shark of the genus Helicoprion. Its teeth seem to have grown in a distinctive arrangement rather disturbingly termed a "tooth-whorl". I say "seem" because shark skeletons are made not of bone, but cartilage, except for their teeth. Consequently, their bodies are never preserved as fossils, and questions about their jaws remain unanswered. The size and placement in the stone of the shark's teeth are actually the only things we have to work with. Sometimes in research we must maintain a stiff upper lip, even in the absence of a stiff lower jaw!"

As an item

In Wild World

Shark-tooth pattern

Shark tooth
Sell price  1,000 Bells
Colors
 
Gray
 
Brown
HRA genre Old-school
Size 1.0 x 1.0


In City Folk

Shark-tooth pattern

Shark tooth
Sell price  1,000 Bells
Colors
 
Gray
 
Brown
HRA genre Retro
Size 1.0 x 1.0


In New Leaf

Shark-tooth pattern

Shark tooth
Sell price  1,000 Bells
Colors
 
Gray
 
Brown
Style Historical
HHA theme challenge Quirky
Size 1.0 x 1.0


In New Horizons

Shark-tooth pattern

Shark-tooth pattern
Interactable No
Sell price  1,000 Bells
Colors
 
Beige
 
Brown
Size 1.0 x 1.0


Real-world information

Helicoprion was a shark-like fish that lived off the southwestern coast of Gondwana in the Early to Middle Permian. While it is more closely related to sharks and other cartilaginous fishes than the bony fishes, its closest living relatives are actually the chimaeras, or rat fish. Like most cartilaginous fish, Helicoprion's body would have decayed quickly. As such, the only fossils found so far have been those of its tooth whorl. First described in 1899, the tooth whorl had baffled paleontologists for over a century, with ideas for what part of the body it was on ranging from the snout to the dorsal fin, to (possibly the most famous early idea) the outside of the lower jaw. Finally, in 2013, researchers working with related species discovered that the tooth whorl in fact sits inside the lower jaw. The whorl grows as Helicoprion ages, with newer teeth growing on the outside while the older teeth get pushed towards the middle of the spiral.

More information on this topic is available at Wikipedia.

Names in other languages

Japanese サメのはのかせき

Korean 상어 이빨 화석
Sang-eo Ippal Hwaseok

Simplified Chinese 鲨鱼牙齿化石

Traditional Chinese 鯊魚牙齒化石

Russian Зубы ископаемой акулы

Dutch Haaientandkrans Shark tooth wreath

German Haizahnspirale Shark tooth spiral

European Spanish Mandíbula de tiburón Shark jaw

European French Mandibule d'hélicoprion

Italian Mandibola di elicoprione