- New shark species discovered
- Fossilised teeth found, Alabama
- Lived 65 million years ago
A newly identified species of shark, discovered along the Alabama coastline 65 million years ago, has been recognised by scientists for its ‘fangs’.
The team uncovered seventeen fossilised teeth that had been stored at a Wilcox County geological survey for over a century, concluding that these remains were unlike any previously documented, whether extinct or alive.
Named Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi, this shark was estimated to be around 10 feet in length and resembled a Sand Tiger Shark. It was a dominant predator at the time dinosaurs became extinct.
A few years back, Jun Ebersole, the Director of Collections at McWane Science Centre, found the collection of dental fossils.
Ebersole expressed, “Discovering a new species is always thrilling, especially because this shark lived in an era that is not well documented in terms of marine life.”
The teeth were found gathering dust in a box of additional fossils.
After thorough research, it was determined that these remains belonged to the same ancient predator.
Ebersole and colleagues discovered the teeth by comparing them to Great Whites and Mako sharks. They ascertained the unique arrangement of the teeth within the dental cavity.
David Cicimurri, the Curator of Natural History, explained, “By examining the jaws and teeth of current sharks, we could reconstruct this ancient species’ dentition, revealing a tooth arrangement not seen in any living shark.”
Of the seventeen teeth collected, nine were intact. The remaining eight either lacked the entire root or just contained the main cusp.
Like living sharks, the Palaeohypotodus had small, protruding canine-like teeth, preying on bony fish, crustaceans, and squid.
Extinct Shark Unveils Ancient Seas
It’s speculated that this extinct species shared the dimensions and a flattened, cone-shaped snout. This is similar to the modern Sand Tiger Shark, commonly found near Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
During Palaeohypotodus’s era, the southern half of Alabama was submerged under a shallow tropical to subtropical ocean.
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The fossils were discovered so far inland because Wilcox County lies approximately 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
T. Lynn Harrell, Jr., a palaeontologist and curator of fossil collections at the Geological Survey, noted, “Discoveries like this shark provide significant insights into marine life’s recovery after mass extinctions and might help predict the impact of current global events like climate change on marine life.”
Ebersole and the team determined the shark’s age to be from the Paleocene epoch based on the geological layer it was found in, just above the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary, marking the period right after the dinosaurs’ extinction.
Alabama is noted worldwide for its remarkable preservation of the K/Pg Boundary, visible in the rock strata.
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