2 new ancient shark species identified after fossils found deep in Kentucky cave

Paleontologists discovered two new species of ancient sharks and put together research using the sharks' fossilized teeth and even a set of gills found in the depths of Mammoth Cave National Park, according to a press release from the park.

Paleontologists identified the sharks, Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum, using fossils collected from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and northern Alabama. 

According to the release, the discovery was made through the ongoing Paleontological Resources Inventory, PRI. The park teamed up with the National Park Service Paleontology Program and the University of Alabama Geological Sciences Department. The partnership is what made the discovery happen.

“Every new discovery at Mammoth Cave is possible due to collaborations,” said Barclay Trimble, the park's Superintendent.

More ancient shark discoveries:Ancient megalodon and great white sharks might not be that similar, study finds

What to know about Troglocladodus trimblei and Glikmanius careforum

Here are some general facts about the sharks brought to us by the national park.

Troglocladodus trimblei

The shark is from a newly discovered genus and species of shark. It was identified through adult and juvenile teeth found in St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve Formations of Mammoth Cave and the Bangor Formation in Alabama.

The genus name means “Cave Cladodus” or “Cave Branching Tooth.” The shark was also named in honor of the person who found the very first specimen, Trimble.

Trimble found a single tooth that belonged to the species in 2019 when PRI first started.

The ancient, cartilaginous fish would've been 10 to 12 feet long, around the size of an oceanic white-tip shark. 

Glikmanius careforum

This new species, a genus of ctenacanth shark, was identified using teeth found in the St. Louis, Ste. Geneveive, and Haney Formations at Mammoth Cave and the Hartselle and Bangor Formations of Alabama.

According to the release, a cartilage fossil of a "partial set of jaws and gills of a young Glikmanius was also found at Mammoth Cave." This kind of fossil is the first of its kind for the genus.

While the other shark is an entirely undiscovered genus, this one is just a newly discovered species. But it dates the origin of this ctenacanth back by 50 million years earlier than originally expected.

This shark was also named after something very important to its discovery and the park.

"The species was named in honor of the Cave Research Foundation, CRF, who not only support research at Mammoth Cave, but whose members also discovered the Glikmanius jaws," says the press release.

The species also would've reached 10-12 feet in length, but the park compared it to of a Lemon Shark.

Kentucky used to have ocean-front property

According to the park, the sharks hunted near the shores of the ancient habitats that covered Kentucky and Alabama over 325 million years ago.

"The area was once an ancient seaway that connected what is now eastern North America, Europe, and northern Africa," reads the press release about the discovery. "But, [it] would later disappear as the supercontinent, Pangea, formed."

What is the Paleontological Resources Inventory?

John-Paul, JP, Hodnett, a shark specialist from the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, started PRI in November 2019 when Hodnett began to work with the NPS Paleontology Program to identify the fossils kept by the park.

Because of it, at least 70 species of ancient fish were identified. They all came from the over 25 caves and cave passages that have been surveyed at Mammoth Cave. 

What is Mammoth Cave?

Mammoth Cave is about a 30-minute drive outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the longest-known cave system in the world.

The prehistoric seas the ancient sharks lived in are the exact reason the cave system formed. According to the park's website, it deposited limestone in the area all those hundreds of millions of years ago.

But then, 10 million years ago “water started trickling down through the cracks that are within that limestone and began to slowly eat away at the passageways," said Molly Schroer, Mammoth Cave National Park spokesperson.

Thus, Mammoth Cave was formed.

Can people visit Mammoth Cave?

Yup! There isn't an entrance fee to enter the national park itself. But, the caves are only accessible via tours. Most guests ages 13 and up who are interested in exploring it will have to pay $8 to participate in a tour. But that price is set to increase at the beginning of March.

Tours do sell out, though. Guests are encouraged to book and reserve their spots before their trip.

Contributing: Eve Chen, consumer travel reporter for USA Today.