AN ANCIENT “shark graveyard” has been found inside a cave system in the United States.
The sharks would’ve lived around 325 million years ago in an “ancient seaway” that has been lost to time.
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Two shark fossils found at the site in Mammoth Cave National Park are new-to-science.
Named Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, the sharks were collected in Kentucky and Northern Alabama.
Mammoth Cave is believed to the longest cave system ever found – with its passageways stretching over 426 miles.
One of the sharks – the Troglocladodus – was indeitifed through both adult and juvenile teeth.
It would’ve reached around 12 feet in length, which scientists from the National Park Service Paleontology Program and the University of Alabama Geological Sciences Department say is about the size of an oceanic white tip shark.
The second shark – Glikmanius – was also identified from teeth.
Scientists also recovered a aprtial set of jaws and gills from a young Glikmanius at Mammoth Cave.
“This set of cartilage fossil was the first of its kind for this genus of ctenacanth shark,” researchers said.
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This shark is also estimated to have reached around 10 to 12 feet in length – roughly equivalent to the size of a Lemon Shark.
Scientists noted: “Its jaw shape suggests it had a short head with a powerful bite for hunting smaller sharks, bony fish, and squid-like orthocones.”
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These sharks would’ve hunted in ancient habitats near to the shores – in lost seaways where Kentucky and Alabama are now located.
“The area was once an ancient seaway that connected what is now eastern North America, Europe, and northern Africa, but would later disappear as the super continent Pangea formed,” the scientists said.
The teeth were remarkably well-preserved, according to researchers.
Speaking to Live Science, palaeontologist John-Paul Hodnett noted: “In such a stable environment, those things look like they just came out of the shark’s mouth yesterday.”
At least 70 species of ancient fish have been identified at the cave system – located across 25 caves and passages.
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