Ancient 'shark graveyard' found in cave with preserved teeth of 3-meter-long beasts

An ancient 'shark graveyard' has been found in a cave system in the United States.

The sharks are thought to have lived about 325 million years ago in an 'ancient seaway' that was lost to time.

Two shark fossils found at the site in Mammoth Cave National Park are new to science.

The sharks, named Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, were collected in Kentucky and northern Alabama.

Mammoth Cave is believed to be the longest cave system ever found – with its passages stretching for 420 miles.

One of the sharks – Troglocladodus – was deidentified by both adult and juvenile teeth.

It would have reached a length of about 11 feet (3.5 meters), which is about the size of an oceanic whitetip shark, according to scientists from the National Park Service Paleontology Program and the University of Alabama's Department of Geological Sciences.

The second shark – Glikmanius – was also identified by its teeth.

Scientists have also recovered a large number of jaws and gills from a young Glikmanius in Mammoth Cave.

“This series of cartilage fossils was the first of its kind for this genus of ctenacant sharks,” researchers said.

It is estimated that this shark is about 10 to 12 feet long – about the size of a lemon shark.

Scientists noted: “Its jaw shape suggests it had a short head with a powerful bite for hunting smaller sharks, bony fish and squid-like orthocones.”

These sharks would have hurried in ancient habitats near the coast – in lost seaways where Kentucky and Alabama now lie.

“The area was once an ancient sea route connecting present-day eastern North America, Europe and North Africa, but would later disappear when the supercontinent Pangea formed,” the scientists said.

According to researchers, the teeth were remarkably well preserved.

In conversation with Live SciencePaleontologist John-Paul Hodnett noted, “In such a stable environment, those things look like they just came out of the shark's mouth yesterday.”

At least 70 species of ancient fish have been identified in the cave system, spread across 25 caves and passages.

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