During a November 2019 dig in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, paleontologists and scientists made a rare discovery.A massive skull belonging to an ancient species of shark that lived some 300 million years ago has been discovered in an underground cave in Kentucky.
Experts believe it belonged a Saivodus striatus, which lived between 340 and 330 million years ago during the Late Mississippian geological period. This species of shark is believed to have grown to the size of a modern-day Great White, between 3.4 to 4 meters in length. Scientists who investigated the new discovery found that part of the shark’s head is preserved in the cave’s wall, not just the teeth, including part of the jaw and chin. Shark fossils, with the exception of teeth, are hard to find because shark skeletons are made of cartilage, which usually decomposes before it can be fossilized. The discovery was historic, since they’ve only ever found teeth from the Saivodus shark. The cartilage is giving researchers more insight. Sharks are some of the oldest living creatures on Earth. Scientists have found evidence of sharks living on Earth for at least 450 million years. This means these aquatic creatures are older than the dinosaurs. Since the discovery, some members of the original digging team, as well as other paleontologists, have returned to the site. According to CNET, they have found more than 100 additional fossil specimens.
Experts believe it belonged a Saivodus striatus, which lived between 340 and 330 million years ago during the Late Mississippian geological period. This species of shark is believed to have grown to the size of a modern-day Great White, between 3.4 to 4 meters in length. Scientists who investigated the new discovery found that part of the shark’s head is preserved in the cave’s wall, not just the teeth, including part of the jaw and chin. Shark fossils, with the exception of teeth, are hard to find because shark skeletons are made of cartilage, which usually decomposes before it can be fossilized. The discovery was historic, since they’ve only ever found teeth from the Saivodus shark. The cartilage is giving researchers more insight. Sharks are some of the oldest living creatures on Earth. Scientists have found evidence of sharks living on Earth for at least 450 million years. This means these aquatic creatures are older than the dinosaurs. Since the discovery, some members of the original digging team, as well as other paleontologists, have returned to the site. According to CNET, they have found more than 100 additional fossil specimens.
