In addition to housing the lighting strike and shark bite capitals, Florida also home to the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World.”

Venice is a top destination spot for beachgoers, shark enthusiasts and fossil collectors alike, hoping to score some toothed treasure along the coast.

Want to go hunting for shark teeth next time you’re in Venice or in Florida? Here’s what the know about shark teeth and when to go searching for them.

Where is Venice, Florida?

Venice is located on Florida’s west coast in Sarasota County. It has 14 miles of beaches from Casey Key to Manasota Key.

Why does Venice, Caspersen and other beaches have so many shark teeth?

Sharks shed between 30,000 and 50,000 teeth in their lifetime, giving plenty of opportunities to find some at the beach. The gulf beaches around Venice have become a goldmine for fossilized shark teeth, but why?

When Florida was underwater 10 million years ago, it was filled with sharks, and the coastal area that Venice sits on fossil layer that expands up to 35-feet deep, according to Visit Sarasota website.

They further explained that over time, as the water receded giving way to land, the prehistoric sharks died. Their skeletons disintegrated, but their fossilized teeth remained. Erosion of the beach shoreline has exposed the teeth and other fossils over the years.

How old are shark’s teeth you typically find on the beach?

According to Oceanographic Magazine, the fossilized shark teeth on the beach are estimated to be between 2 to 35 million years old spanning the Pliocene to Miocene Epoch.

Can you find Megalodon teeth on Venice Beach?

One of the largest predators to grace our planet, otodus megalodon was an enormous shark that dominated the oceans until becoming extinct just 3.6 million years ago, according to the National History Museum. The prehistoric shark was about three times larger than the modern day great white shark, with the largest megalodons roughly 60-feet in length and weighing up to 50 tons.

And you might be able to find its teeth on Venice Beach.

Last year, an experienced Florida diver found a 6.25-inch long megalodon tooth while shark tooth hunting in Venice. Michael Nastasio told USA Today it took him years to find a shark tooth that large.

The massive prehistoric sharks would come to Venice to mate, not to eat, making a large tooth a rare find. Only 6 megalodon teeth were found in the area the year prior.

What is the secret to finding sharks teeth?

The best time to look for shark teeth is just after a storm when the waves expose a new layer of sand. Once you have all your gear, walk to the shoreline where the waves are crashing. While the waves break, scoop up the sifter a few feet into the water and sort through the sand and shells for a smooth, shark tooth.

H. Cliff Harrison, a senior hydrogeologist for Sarasota County Public Utilities, notes that the best beaches for finding shark teeth are the beaches with a significant amount of “black sand” or “dark sand” mixed in with the regular white quartz sand.

“When you find a beach that is dark enough that the sand is too hot to walk on barefoot in the summer, you are likely on a good beach. All those small black grains are actually phosphate and small particles offossilized bone and teeth,” he wrote.

What are the best tools to use to find shark teeth?

Last year, the Herald-Tribune tracked down the best gear for tracking down shark teeth:

• Hat and sunscreen for sun protection

• Bucket or bag for shark tooth finds

• Sifter if onshore hunting

• Scuba or diving equipment if offshore hunting

Contributing reporting: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Shark tooth ‘Capital’ of the world is in Florida. Where is Venice?