Oldest teeth ever found come from fish fossils in China

Sink your teeth into this.

Researchers recovered the oldest teeth ever found from a haul of fish fossils that was discovered in southern China in 2019, according to newly released study results.

The discovery included a shark-like fossil, as well as the bones of numerous boomerang-shaped fish, with the remnants believed to be from the Silurian period that occurred between 419 million and 433 million years ago.

The teeth are a whopping 14 million years older than any other teeth — from any species — that have been recovered.

This illustration provided by Heming Zhang in September 2022 depicts Xiushanosteus mirabilis, one of the fossil fish, more than 400 million years old, which were found by researchers in southern China. (Heming Zhang/)

“It’s just at this interface between the Old World and the New World,” study researcher and University of Bristol paleontologist Philip Donoghue said, according to The Associated Press.

The results were part of four different studies released in the Nature journal on Wednesday.

Scientists were thrilled by the condition of the teeth, and believe the finding could provide an entirely new level of understanding for the era that the fish lived in.

With News Wire Services