Teeth embedded in cave walls reveal new species of ancient sea creature in Kentucky
Deep inside a pitch-black cave in Kentucky, researchers discovered a new species of ancient sea creature, according to the National Park Service.
It left little to find, just strange teeth embedded in the walls and ceiling of Mammoth Cave. Researchers hunted down the fossilized clues by the light of their headlamps, photos shared Oct. 11 by NPS show.
The “spoon-like” teeth belonged to a species of shark, officials said. Arranged in its jaw in a “fan-like” pattern, it would crush even the toughest prey.
The newly recognized shark has been dubbed Strigilodus tollesonae, or Tolleson’s Scraper Tooth, in honor of Kelli Tolleson, a Mammoth Cave National Park guide with a high tolerance for claustrophobia.
“Tolleson discovered many important fossil localities through her work and led expeditions to the fossil sites which are limited in accessibility due to the remote and sometimes challenging sections of cave where the specimens are found,” officials said. “Many of the sites are in areas of low ceilings requiring crawling for long distances on hands and knees, and at times, belly crawling.”
The extinct petal-toothed shark has more in common with ratfish than the sharks and rays of today, officials said. With teeth ideal for crushing, it would have been the bane of hard-shelled sea life as well as other fish.
The discovery of the shark is part of a larger effort at the park to research and identify the wealth of fossils that reside in Mammoth Cave, officials said.
“Teams of geologists, paleontologist, park staff, and volunteers have been hard at work deep inside the cave identifying and collecting fossils,” Superintendent Barclay Trimble said. “Their important research allows us to better understand the scope, significance, distribution, and management issues associated with the fossil record found within Mammoth Cave.”
Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The park is roughly 100 miles southwest of Lexington.
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