Ancient 'Large Serrated-Tooth Shark' Nursery Discovered, Yielding 87 Fossil Teeth

A nursery for a group of ancient sharks that lived about 24 million years ago has been discovered in the United States.

A total of 87 fossil shark teeth found in a coastal area of South Carolina, United States, have drawn considerable attention. The site appears to have been a place where young sharks stayed until they reached a certain stage of growth.

The coastal area appears to have provided an ideal environment for young sharks to grow, as prey was easy to catch there.

A detailed analysis of the fossil shark teeth found at the site identified them as belonging to Carcharocles angustidens.

Carcharocles angustidens was a large serrated-tooth shark that lived during the Oligocene, between about 34 million and 23 million years ago. It was a close relative of megalodon, the largest shark species in history, which existed from about 23 million to 1.5 million years ago. This is the first time a nursery for the species has been discovered.

The 87 fossil shark teeth found at the site were identified as three from pups, 77 juvenile teeth and seven adult teeth. A wide variety of fish inhabited the waters off South Carolina at the time, making it highly likely that the area offered an ideal environment for young sharks that were not yet skilled hunters.

Dr. Boessenecker, the American paleontologist who led the study, said, “This discovery will change our understanding of how large Carcharocles angustidens could grow,” adding, “The environmental adaptation strategy in which sharks establish nurseries for their young may also have begun around this time.”