Mammoth Cave National Park offers kayaking, horseback riding and underground tours. Soon, it may offer something new — a look at fossilized sharks, thanks to a recent discovery by scientists.
In a remote cave, researchers have discovered part of an ancient shark, according to WDRB, a television station based out of nearby Louisville, Kentucky. Scientist and spelunker Rick Toomey took the station’s reporters directly to the site, showing them fossilized shark teeth and a large jawbone embedded in the rock.
Toomey sent photos of his discovery to hark expert and paleontologist J. P. Hodnett. After looking at the pictures, Hodnett traveled to Kentucky to examine the discovery in person, according to WYMT. He quickly recognized the teeth. Hundreds of millions of years ago, the United States were underwater. Gigantic fish roamed the waters, snapping up anything in their paths. The shark found in Mammoth Cave belongs to the Saivodus striatus family and was only around 20 feet long, so it would have made a quick snack for its bigger cousins.
According to Hodnett, very few shark remnants have been found from rocks in the same geological age as the current discovery. Toomey and his team will continue to explore the cave, looking for more fossils to share with the scientific community. They hope to find additional sharks buried in the limestone. Who knows what discoveries they’ll unearth in the vast network of caves?
Currently, none of the 2 million annual visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park can visit the remote cave where the shark was discovered. Researchers hope to carefully unearth all of the remains and eventually display them at an on-site museum. For now, though, they want to preserve this piece of the past. Visitors will have to settle for purchasing a souvenir shark tooth at the many small shops clustered around the park.
