[Rockhounds] ANCIENT SHARKS DISCOVERED IN KENTUCKY'S MAMMOTH CAVE

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

he fossilized remains of six species of ancient shark previously unknown to
science have been unearthed in Mammoth Cave National Park
<https://www.newsweek.com/head-giant-330-million-year-old-shark-wall-kentucky-cave-1484825>
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.

"I am absolutely amazed at the diversity of sharks we see while exploring
the passages that make up Mammoth Cave," said John-Paul Hodnett, a
paleontologist from the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning
Commission, who was recruited especially for the project.

https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-sharks-discovered-kentucky-mammoth-cave-1539393