New Species of Prehistoric Shark Had Teeth With Tiny Fangs [Study]

A prehistoric shark from Alabama was identified. Surprisingly, it had a tooth with a terrifying addition- its tiny fangs.

New Shark Species Had Tooth With Tiny Fangs

According to a new study, the newly discovered prehistoric shark species, Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi, belongs to the genus Palaeohypotodus, which means "ancient small-eared tooth." The fossilized teeth of the species include small protrusions on either side of the primary tooth that resemble vampire fangs.

A sample of these unusual teeth that had been unintentionally kept in a box containing other shark teeth taken from the lower Paleocene (Danian) Porters Creek Formation in Wilcox County, Alabama, more than a century ago turned out to be the new species.

It is believed that this particular species of shark dominated the oceans shortly after the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. After looking into these unusual new teeth, the researchers discovered they didn't match any known living or extinct species.

"By studying the jaws and teeth of living sharks, it allowed us to reconstruct the dentition of this ancient species and showed that it had a tooth arrangement that differed from any living shark," David Cicimurri, the curator of natural history at South Carolina State Museum, said in a statement.

According to Cicimurri, one of the shark's most interesting characteristics is that it existed during the Paleocene (about 65 million years ago). During this era, which began shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs, more than 75% of all life on Earth vanished.

The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction was the last major mass extinction event that Earth experienced. It claimed the lives of countless mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and dinosaurs. Extinction rates in the ocean were also very high, with the extinction of marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs and invertebrates such as ammonites. Of all the genera and families, seven percent of them were exterminated; humans belong to the Hominid family and the Homo genus.

During this time, a relatively shallow tropical ocean covered most of the now Alabama land. This new shark species would have thrived without extant apex predators like marine reptiles.

Since much research hasn't been done on this era, the finding of this new shark species is all the more significant. Lynn Harrell, Jr., a paleontologist and curator of fossil collections at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, commented. Findings on sharks such as this one help us understand how ocean life rebounds from big extinction events and may even help us predict how current global events, such as climate change, may affect marine life.

Newborn Shark Captured Swimming

Researchers at the University of California - Riverside captured the amazing image of a newborn great white shark. The five-foot shark was believed to be only a few hours old when it was found by specialists about 1,000 feet off the coast of Santa Barbara.

These areas have long been unknown to scientists since they have been unable to find great white shark birthing grounds. On July 9, 2023, two filmmakers looking for sharks in the area were lucky to see a great white shark.

"Where white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark science," said Wildlife filmmaker Carols Gauna, who took the photos alongside UC Riverside PhD student Phillip Sternes.

No one has ever been able to identify the birthplace of a newborn shark or seen one alive. It has been reported that dead white sharks have been found inside deceased pregnant women. Not in this manner, though.

Even though the Santa Barbara coast is thought to be a possible location for great white shark births, despite Gauna's years of watching and recording the shore, this is the first time that any evidence of pregnancy has been discovered.

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