Police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials are investigating the seizure of a shark tooth that had been sent from New York, USA.
The tooth had been concealed in a cargo that was sent to a recipient in Nairobi via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Officials said the tooth was in a cargo declared as lithium ion batteries when it was discovered over the weekend.
It was during the search that a sharp edged object that was later found to be a shark tooth was recovered.
KWS officials were called and took the lead in the probe saying the seizure shows there was intent to trade the product.
Sharks are part of endangered species that face extinction.
Officials say they are investigating the motive and destination of the tooth.
The investigators had contacted officials in New York to establish the origin and motive.
Sharks and rays are part of a group of fishes called elasmobranchs, which have skeletons made of cartilage instead of bone like all other fish species.
They also share life-history traits more closely aligned to mammals than fish such as slow growth rates, late to reach reproductive maturity, and have few offsprings at one time.
Shark and ray fins are in high demand, especially in Asia, for use in the luxury dish of shark fin soup.
Other shark teeth and ray products traded internationally include jaws, skin, liver oil, gill plates and squalene.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has listed sharks as an endangered species.
CITES currently comprises of 183 parties and offers protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
