Where to find shark teeth in the UK

Fossil shark teeth in Britain come mainly from two sources: the Eocene clays and sands of the Hampshire and London Basins, and the Pliocene Red Crag of Essex and Suffolk. That puts the best sites on the coasts of Kent, Essex, Hampshire, Sussex and Suffolk.

• Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex — Red Crag over London Clay, and the most reliable site in the country
• Herne Bay and the Isle of Sheppey, Kent — London Clay, teeth and much else
• Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex — safe, shallow, and rich in Eocene material
• Barton on Sea, Hampshire — Barton Clay, with hundreds of species of shell alongside the teeth
• Bawdsey, Suffolk — quiet Red Crag cliffs and shingle

Teeth are small, dark and glossy, and they concentrate with other heavy grains in bands of fine shingle. Sieving is transformative: a garden sieve with 3–5 mm mesh, worked at the water's edge on a falling tide, will out-produce hours of walking.

Kneel down. Almost everyone who finds teeth consistently is working at ground level over a small patch.