Ancient Shark Discoveries Reshape Understanding of Ocean History

Why are scientists finding giant shark fossils in Mexico and Australia? New bones show sharks were 33 feet long and lived in caves millions of years ago.

#ancientsharks, #mexicofossils, #mammothcave, #sharkevolution, #ptychodus

https://newsletter.tf/how-new-ancient-shark-fossils-change-ocean-history/

Scientists found a 33-foot shark skeleton in Mexico. This is much bigger than many sharks today and shows they were huge even during the time of dinosaurs.

#ancientsharks, #mexicofossils, #mammothcave, #sharkevolution, #ptychodus

https://newsletter.tf/how-new-ancient-shark-fossils-change-ocean-history/

#Paleontologists Unravel Secrets of Enigmatic 33-Foot Prehistoric #Shark After #Fossil Discovery
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-unravel-secrets-of-enigmatic-33-foot-prehistoric-shark-after-fossil-discovery-180984218/

Exceptionally preserved shark #fossils from #Mexico elucidate the long-standing enigma of the #Cretaceous elasmobranch Ptychodus https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.0262

"#Ptychodus has long been a classic example of teeth in search of a body... Now, they report it was likely a close relative of today’s great white sharks and crunched on hard-shelled creatures with unique grinding teeth"

Ptychodus decurrens hunting Neocardioceras juddii in Westphalia during the Late Cretaceous. Ptychodus has blunt teeth in order to crack shells.

#ptychodus #neocardioceras #shark #ammonite #cretaceous #latecretaceous #palaeontology #vertebrate_paleontology #fossil #fish #marinelife #animalart #watercolour #watercolourart #sciart #scientificillustration #westfalen

For #FossilFriday I want to share an amazing Ptychodus martini "shell-crusher" shark tooth I found in a gravel bar on a creek in #AustinTX.

It's a bit of a hike to this part of the creek, and when I sat my backpack down to rest for a bit, this gem was beneath the strap of my pack.

This is the largest of the 20+ Ptychodus teeth I've found on this creek, and the best preserved. It eroded out of the Austin Chalk, and is from about 85mya.

#Paleontology #Fossil #Ptychodus