A tooth from the prehistoric ancestor of the extinct monster predator, the megalodon, was found among the fossils. Researchers from Australia’s National Science Agency (CSIRO) uncovered the peculiar discovery while conducting a biodiversity survey at the newly created Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park.
Animal Species
To collect samples of the various animal species that reside there, researchers cast nets into the water during these surveys.
The team was initially disappointed with the results of their net, according to Dianne Bray, senior collections officer for the Museums Victoria Research Institute, which took part in the expedition. ”
At first, we assumed it contained only dirt and manganese nodules. They did not know what they had discovered until they took a closer look at the contents of the net.
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Megalodons
A total of over 750 shark teeth that had been recovered at a depth of almost 18,000 feet were identified. Not all were fossils; some belonged to two species of great white shark relatives and very recent makos.
The most intriguing specimen, in terms of the experts’ opinion, was a tooth thought to have come from a long-gone megalodon shark progenitor. T
he megalodon, the largest shark ever but extinct approximately 3.5 million years ago, was an evolution of this shark “Fishes at the WA Museum curator Glenn Moore made a comment.
At least 20 million years ago, a predator called the megalodon lived on Earth. Its moniker, which literally translates to the big tooth, accurately described the creature.
Megalodons are said to have reached a maximum length of 65 feet, and their teeth frequently measure the size of a human hand.
The discovery of so many teeth in such a small area of the seafloor, according to Moore, was astounding. He said, “I have never seen anything like this, or heard of anything like that. It’s a rare chance to see almost the entire collection in one place.”
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