Archaeologists unearth shark world lost beneath Egypts desert for 70 million years

Forget the lost legendary world of Atlantis — scientists have discovered a new forgotten abyss left largely untapped for more than 70 million years (this time real, and with sharks).According to a study recently published in the journal Cretaceous Research, a team of scientists led by Cairo University found that underneath Egypt’s Abu-Tartur Plateau, remains were found of five now-extinct shark species in the remote portion of the Western Deserts, pointing to the conclusion that one of the world’s most notoriously dry places was once submerged under a warm, tropical sea.Through their research, the scientists found 70-million-year-old evidence of 14 fossilized teeth, which are believed to have come from the five now-extinct shark groups, one of which may have never been found in Africa before, per The Daily Mail.This brings the total of shark species’ remains found in the area to seven.The shark species never found at Abu-Tartur before include Cretalamna cf.

maroccana, Scapanorhynchus cf.raphiodon, Serratolamna cf.

serrata, Squalicorax bassanii and Squalicorax pristodontus, while Serratolamna cf.serrata and Squalicorax bassanii had never before been documented in Egypt at all.What’s more, the needle-toothed Scapanorhynchus cf.

raphiodon had likely never been found before in all of Africa.Speaking of the sharks’ teeth, their shapes fell all over the board — with some being thin, like needles, and others looking wide and serrated.One chomper was even curved, pointing scientists to the conclusion that the various types meant that these sharks each hunted for different kinds of food.

Their different placements also likely mean some preferred staying closer to shore, while others spent more time in the deep end.The sharks, which were all found in the same phosphate-rich layer, join a variety of small fish, invertebrates and marine reptiles, all of which are considered to be evidence of a lush, once-thriving water-fueled ecosystem during the Late Cretaceo...