Shark Graveyard in Egypt Reveals Five Extinct Shark Species From a Colorful Collection of Teeth
Learn about the shark graveyard found at an ancient rock formation in Egypt, where fossil teeth have revealed a diverse assemblage of sharks.
Long before Egypt became known for its deserts, it was once submerged in a tropical sea teeming with marine life. The fossilized remains of this ancient ecosystem, which thrived from 100.5 million to 66 million years ago, have been preserved in rock layers called phosphate beds. One such site, the Duwi Formation in Egypt's Southwestern Desert, has become a "shark graveyard" due to the abundance of shark teeth discovered there.
A new study published in Cretaceous Research details the finding of 14 shark teeth, representing at least five extinct species. Two of these species, Serratolamna serrata and Squalicorax bassanii, were previously unknown in Egypt. The researchers also identified what may be the first record of Scapanorhynchus raphiodon in Africa, a mackerel shark species related to the living goblin shark.
The varied shapes, sizes, and colors of the teeth suggest a diverse marine community supported by nutrient-rich tropical waters during the Late Cretaceous. The phosphate beds in the Duwi Formation likely played a role in promoting this thriving ecosystem by driving the productivity of phytoplankton, the foundation of the marine food web.
Written by urgent.news from Discover Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
