The Movile Cave, a remarkable subterranean ecosystem isolated from the external environment for over 5.5 million years, is home to an array of unique animal species that have evolved within its confines. These creatures thrive in an environment devoid of sunlight, relying on the chemical energy provided by toxic compounds in the air and water […]
The Cave of the Crystals in Chihuahua…
The Cave of the Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico has a selenite crystals that are an average tree size. The cave is extremely hot and its air temperatures reaching up to 136 °F. Therefore, people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure, without proper protection.
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A 330-Million-Year-Old Shark Head Was Found Inside a Cave in Kentucky
Kentucky is synonymous with fried chicken and horse racing.
Apparently we need to add sharks to the list.
Scientists recently discovered a shark skull inside a cave in Kentucky that dates back quite a few years. And we’re not talking a few decades.
The 330-million-year-old skull was found in the 400-mile long Mammoth Cave National Park, which just so happens to be the longest known cave system in the world.
Rick Olson and Rick Toomey, who both work as Mammoth Cave scientists, found the fossil. John-Paul Hodnett led a team of paleontologists in identifying the fossil as one that originated in the Late Missisippian geological period that occurred between 358 to 323 million years ago.
Hodnett could hardly contain his excitement over the unique discovery.
“There’s hardly ever any record at all of sharks’ teeth coming from these rocks,” he told CNN. “So this is a brand new record of sharks from a particular layer of time.”
The Rick duo that found the fossil buried within the limestone cave walls has been hard at work mapping a part of the Kentucky cave system.
Hodnett’s team eventually excavated a 2.5-foot portion of the shark’s jaw. Based on the jaw size, the prehistoric animal would have measured comparably to a modern great white shark.
While the discovery was certainly impressive, it isn’t close to the oldest shark fossil found. Fossilized skin scales of sharks dating back to 450 million years ago were found in Colorado and Central Australia. In fact, the oldest shark teeth on record were found from the Devonian Period, which took place between 418 to 358 million years ago.
“Mammoth Cave has a rich fossil shark record and there’s still much more to uncover,” Hodnett said.
They just found shark teeth and shark cartilage in mammoth cave here in Kentucky that are over 300 million years old…. so my home state used to be an ocean with dinosaur sharks. I think that’s the technical term. You might wanna Wikipedia it though.
— Disco Dalai Lama (@DiscoDalaiLama) February 5, 2020
I guess the discovery would qualify as big news, after all.
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In the Kantemo Caves, Mexico…
In the Kantemo Caves, Mexico, snakes hang down from the cave ceiling to catch and eat bats.
For years, scientists…
For years, scientists didn’t know what caused mysterious cave networks in South America. In 2010, they learned that the caves were actually tunnels dug by ancient giant sloths.
Romanian sewer workers accidentally…
Romanian sewer workers accidentally discovered a cave which was sealed for 5.5 million years. Movile Cave is filled with evolutionary distinct exotic creatures (albino crabs, worms) which feed off sulfur-producing bacteria. Here are more details about the ecosystem and insects.
In India there are 29 caves joined together…
In India there are 29 caves joined together which are filled with paintings from over 3 religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism), which were constructed in 520 BCE and has a size of 8,242 ha, making it one of the largest man-made cave structures ever built. 00
Cave systems were recently discovered beneath…
Cave systems were recently discovered beneath Antarctica which are warm enough to wear t-shirts in, and in which it is said a “lost world” of new animals and plants may exist. 00
Romanian sewer workers accidentally discovered a cave…
Romanian sewer workers accidentally discovered a cave which was sealed for 5.5 million years. Movile Cave is filled with evolutionary distinct exotic creatures (albino crabs, worms) which feed off sulfur-producing bacteria.
A one of a kind sulfur based ecosystem exists in a Romanian cave…
A one of a kind sulfur based ecosystem exists in a Romanian cave completely sealed off from the rest of the world.