Underwater Graveyard in Australia Houses Fossilized Shark Teeth, Some from Megalodon

Off the coast of Western Australia, hundreds of fossilized shark teeth have been found in an underwater cemetery. A tooth from the prehistoric ancestor of the prehistoric monster predator, the megalodon, was found among the specimens.

Net Full of Teeth

Researchers from Australia's National Science Agency (CSIRO) made the peculiar discovery while conducting a biodiversity survey at the newly created Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park. To collect samples of the various animal species that live there, scientists cast nets into the water during these surveys.

The senior collections officer for the Museums Victoria Research Institute who participated in the expedition, Dianne Bray, stated that the team was initially unimpressed with the results of their net. They initially believed it to be merely full of manganese nodules and sediment.

They did not realize what they had discovered until they closely examined the information on the internet. When Bray said that their discovery was amazing.

750 Shark Teeth

A total of about 750 shark teeth that had been recovered from a depth of almost 18,000 feet were identified.

The researchers clarified that not all of the specimens were fossils; some belonged to two species of great white shark relatives and makos that lived relatively recently.

In terms of the researchers' opinion, the most intriguing specimen was a tooth thought to have come from a long-gone megalodon shark ancestor.

This animal evolved into the megalodon, according to Glenn Moore, the curator of fishes at the WA Museum. Megalodon sharks are the largest of all sharks, but the species went extinct about 3.5 million years ago.

According to 9News, the finding comes after the RV Investigator spent months gathering a variety of strange underwater creatures in the vicinity of extinct underwater volcanoes in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park, an Australian territory.

Megalodon

Megalodon, a prehistoric predator, existed on Earth at least 20 million years ago. Its name, which literally translates to "large tooth," accurately described the creature. Megalodons are thought to have reached a maximum length of 65 feet, and their teeth frequently measure the size of a human hand.

According to Moore, it was amazing to find so many shark teeth within such a small area of the seafloor. He asserted that he had never witnessed or heard of anything comparable. It's a rare chance to access almost the entire collection from one location.

Why there were so many shark teeth found together in one location is still a mystery. Moore is unaware of any other plausible explanation for why they might all be together besides the possibility that it was a low point on the ocean floor from which they would eventually descend.

These findings emphasize the significance of undertaking biodiversity surveys on the ocean floor to learn more about the animals that currently exist or have historically existed in our seas, ABC News through Newsweek reports.

Megalodon Teeth

According to the Kentucky Geological Survey, Megalodon teeth are bigger and broader than modern great white shark teeth, despite having a similar shape. Teeth are triangular, like a chisel or wedge, with a broad base and a thin peak, though occasionally they curve toward the cusp. Teeth are made up of an enamel-coated crown and a root with a V-shaped notch at the base. The root's rough, porous, and bone-like texture is in stark contrast to the enamel's smoothness, polish, and occasional vertical cracks.