Newly discovered shark was one of ‘top predators’ after dinosaurs’ extinction

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

A new species of shark that was one of the ocean’s top predators following the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago has been discovered in the United States.

The fossilized teeth were found 100 years ago in Alabama but had remained hidden in a box in a collection until they were re-examined.

The shark is a new species of Palaeohypotodus - which means “ancient small-eared tooth” - in reference to the small needle-like fangs present on the sides of the teeth.

It has been named Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi, in honor of the late Dr. Bruce Bizzoco who served as a Dean at Shelton State Community College, for his lifelong commitments to education and the preservation of Alabama’s history.

Research team leader Jun Ebersole, Director of Collections at McWane Science Centre in Birmingham, Alabama, explained that the discovery of the shark was accidental.

He said: “A few years ago, I was looking through the historical fossil collections at the Geological Survey in Alabama and came across a small box of shark teeth that were collected over 100 years ago in Wilcox County.

“Having documented hundreds of fossil fish species over the last decade, I found it puzzling that these teeth were from a shark that I didn’t recognize.”

He quickly realized that the teeth belonged to a new species.

David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History at the South Carolina State Museum, said: “Perhaps one of the coolest aspects of this shark, is when it lived – the Paleocene, approximately 65 million years ago.

"This is the time period from just after the death of the dinosaurs, where over 75 percent of life on Earth went extinct.”

He says the shark was a leading predator during the time when the oceans were recovering.

In Alabama, much of the southern half of the state was covered by a shallow tropical to sub-tropical ocean during the Paleocene.

Lynn Harrell, Paleontologist and Fossil Collections Curator at the Geological Survey of Alabama said: “This time period is understudied, which makes the discovery of this new shark species that much more significant.

“Shark discoveries like this one give us tremendous insights into how ocean life recovers after major extinction events and also allow us to potentially forecast how global events, like climate change, affect marine life today."

As part of their study, the team compared the fossil teeth to those of various shark species living today.

Cicimurri explained that shark teeth differ in shape, depending on where they are located in the mouth.

He added: “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."

The team has now confirmed more than 400 unique species of fossil sharks and bony fishes which, according to Mr Ebersole, makes Alabama one of the richest places in the world in terms of fossil fish diversity.

The findings were published in the journal Fossil Record.