Jaw ready for this? 🦈
I think we’re gonna need a bigger cave! Umm, Mammoth Cave is already the world's longest known cave system. So who’s up for finding a shark in the dark? Well, their fossils.
Wait, come back! Two new species of shark have been discovered at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. The new species, Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, were discovered through the ongoing Paleontological Resources Inventory at
@mammothcavenps. Both were identified by fossils collected from Kentucky and northern Alabama. These shark species are estimated to have reached 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.5 meters) in length and would have hunted the ancient near-shore habitats that covered what is now Kentucky and Alabama over 325 million years ago.
Image 1: A reconstruction of the new Middle to Late Mississippian ctenacanth sharks from Mammoth Cave and northern Alabama. Glikmanius careforum is seen swimming in the foreground with two Troglocladodus trimblei swimming above. Artwork...