BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A new shark species fossil has been discovered in the depths of Mammoth Cave.

What You Need To Know

  • National Fossil Day is on Oct. 11

  • The fossils are from a Strigilodus tollesonae, a shark that lived in Mammoth Cave over 300 million years ago

  • The shark looked similar to that of a ray, a skate or a rat fish

  • The fossils were found in a cave that is not open to the public

The fossil is of a petal tooth shark called Strigilodus tollesonae. The shark apparently lived in the cave over 300 million of years ago.

Cave Specialist Richard Toomey said the shark wasn’t as big as a great white shark, but looked more like a ray, a skate or a rat fish. 

“You would recognize it as a shark if it swam at you, Toomey said. “It wouldn’t look as intimidating as others.”

Toomey was part of the team that found the fossil. He took Spectrum News 1 down to the cave where it was found. 

The cave goes over 100 feet beneath the ground. It was mined in the 1940s. But the work was halted because of World War II.

A portion of the cave is known as fossil avenue because there are plenty of artifacts to be discovered.

Toomey said, “This is one of the areas that we’ve extensively studied and we’ve dug up a lot of shark teeth.” He added, “We’re probably going to have a total of around five species as found here.” Toomey said one of the fossils found has been written about and published and says two other fossils are being reviewed.

The cave has other fossils, such as corals and brachiopods. However, the cave is known for its high quantity of shark fossils. 

“This is the area we’ve studied most extensively, and it has the largest diversity of shark teeth that we’ve had,” Toomey said.

Sharks no longer live in these caves. Rather, the cave is inhabited by bats, spiders, crickets, salamanders and over 160 different species. They all lurk in the corners and crevices of Kentucky’s most famous national park.

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