The remains of a shark that died 340 million years ago were found in a cave in the American state of Kentucky. The New York Post reports.
In November 2019, ecologist Rick Olson and paleontologist Rick Toomey excavated Mammoth Cave National Park and discovered the fossilized head of an ancient shark. The news of this unique find reached the paleontologist John-Paul Hodnett. He went to the cave to establish the exact sight of the shark.
According to him, the remains belonged to a shark of the species Saivodus striatus, which existed about 330-340 million years ago. “We seem to have found the missing puzzle of an incredibly large picture,” the paleontologist emphasized. He added that the remains of other shark species were found in the cave. “The Mammoth Cave turned out to be rich in such fossils,” the specialist concluded.
Hodnett and other scientists involved in the excavation will present their findings in October 2020 at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
That year, a North Carolina resident found a prehistoric shark's tooth while walking along the coast. He decided to donate the find to one of the state museums.