40 Different Species of Shark Remains Found in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Although many find it hard to believe, Mammoth Cave used to be home to many sharks in Kentucky. It may seem crazy, but the Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky used to be underwater, and surprisingly millions of years ago, resembled a climate of the Bahamas!
Recently, researchers have discovered shark fossils deep inside the cave embedded in it’s limestone far from tourist paths. These discoveries are not only thrilling, but they are history in the making. At least 6 new species of sharks have been found at Mammoth Cave National Park. The news was revealed on Wednesday (no other day better than National Fossil Day) by paleontologists, cave specialists, and park rangers. The park has been very lucky in finding these remains due to the teams care and preservation. The cave is great for keeping these remains in place, gives researchers more to look forward to in the future!
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Painting Below Depicts What Mammoth Cave May Have Looked Like:
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More About the Kentucky Shark Fossils
The fossils were found in the late 1900’s at various locations of the cave, however, were not identified until November 2019. 40 species of shark have already been identified, in addition to the recent new 6.
The recently discovered sharks have been said to lived on 340 million years ago, according to Paleontologist John-Paul Hodnett of Maryland-National Capital Parks.
The park will showcase a fossil exhibit with all of their findings that will be over to the public once it is safe to due so in regards to pandemic guidelines. The official exhibit release date has not been announced.
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How Do Researches Find the Remains of Sharks in Kentucky?
The work itself takes a lot of time, research, and precision. A team gets deep into the cave, and uses Kayaks to paddle out in an underground river to get to a landing where the floor of a cave is surrounded by sharks’ teeth. The team then uses dental tools to pick them out and collect them.
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More About Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park is most famous for being the longest cave system in the world. The cave started to form between 12-14 million years ago and was known for many ice age mammal fossils and ancient marine organisms. Importantly, it has nearly 84 miles of trails to explore, bringing in countless visitors from around the world every year. Although it’s most known for it’s underground sightseeing, there is much more to it! Additionally, it is known for the infamous Floyd Collins story. If you’re interested in visiting the Mammoth Cave National park, we suggest camping at the state campground, or staying at an Airbnb nearby.
>> Hitting the Trails? Check out our favorite Mammoth Cave trails!
