Rare tiny shark fossil with curved teeth unearthed in world’s longest cave system

Illustration: Proposed reconstruction of the new to science species Macadens olsoni, discovered through fossil research at Mammoth Cave National Park. Illustration credit: Benji Paysnoe. Article by Maria Mocerino. Interesting Engineering – July 29, 2025. News release: NPS.

A team of scientists discovered a new species of shark preserved in the walls of Mammoth Cave, an underwater cave system brimming with ancient species of fish. Between 320 and 360 million years ago, Mammoth Cave began to form when the tides of an ancient sea began depositing limestone in this area. About 10-15 million years ago, rainwater and surface water had sufficiently seeped into the ground, beginning to carve out passageways, […]

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