Ancient shark fossils discovered in Kentucky's Mammoth Cave

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The fossilized remains of six species of ancient shark previously unknown to science have been unearthed in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, with researchers hailing the site as "one of the most diverse Mississippian shark faunas in North America."

The fossils of at least 40 different species of shark and close relatives have been discovered in remote cave locations within the park since survey efforts started 10 months ago. The six previously undiscovered species include large predators and small bottom-feeders.

The fossils could be more than 325 million years old, which is when the limestones of the Mammoth Cave System were formed, during the Mississippian Period of the Late Paleozoic Era.

"We can hardly move more than a couple of feet as another tooth or spine is spotted in the cave ceiling or wall. We are seeing a range of different species of chondrichthyans [cartilaginous fish] that fill a variety of ecological niches, from large predators to tiny little sharks that lived amongst the crinoid [sea lily] forest on the seafloor that was their habitat."

Most of the shark fossils have been discovered in areas that are inaccessible to visitors on cave tours, but park staff have produced 3D models of the cartilaginous shark remains, and are preparing photographs, artists' renditions, and three-dimensional models for exhibition.

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