A huge prehistoric shark tooth of a 60-foot ocean monster unearthed in the desert

Several extinct prehistoric teeth Megalodon Megalodon was found in the Atacama Desert in Chile. A top expert said that despite the treasure hunters plundering the area, the South American country still has “one of the largest scientific collections of megalodon teeth in the world.”

The giant tusks of prehistoric sharks believed to have lived between 23 and 2 million years ago were discovered in the Bahia Inglesa Formation in the Atacama Desert off the Pacific coast of northern Chile.

Megalodon — whose name means Big Tooth — is “the largest shark to date, a super predator, and its length is estimated to be between 16 and 20 meters (52 to 66 feet),” the organization’s executive Director Pablo Quilodran said. Atacama Paleontology and Natural History Research and Advancement Corp. “There are extraordinary fossil deposits in the Atacama area. As far as the coast is concerned, there are the remains of marine vertebrates about 8 million years ago (Neogene period).”

Quilodran said that large-scale mining operations and looting by treasure hunters could result in hundreds of magna teeth and other prehistoric artifacts being sold on the black market.

“Although fossils are protected by law in Chile, for many years, one of the most spectacular areas, the Bahia Inglesa Formation, has been destroyed by deregulated mining operations and illegal fossil hunters. Victims,” ​​he said.

More positively, he said that some of the looted artifacts were returned to Chile in recent years, allowing it to build the most impressive collection in the world.

“According to informal statistics, we know that hundreds of megalodons have been found and sold on the international market. Some of them have been returned to the Caldera Museum of Paleontology and Chile’s National Museum of Natural History.

“With this, we undoubtedly have one of the largest scientific collections of megalodon teeth in the world.”

How to find the teeth of marine animals in the desert?

“Because the sea level has changed (transgression and regression) over millions of years,” the expert said. “This is not only visible in the abundant marine fossils found in sediments today, but also in the landforms of this part of the desert, where we can see the natural coastal zone. These ancient ocean terraces prove these. Different sea levels.

“In short, the sea surface has receded, but due to earthquakes and plate subduction, the surface is also rising. We Chileans know and experience this phenomenon very well.”

Such discoveries are nothing new.British naturalist and evolutionist Charles Darwin According to reports, he discovered some megalodon teeth during his visit to Chile in 1835, Quilodran said, and recent discoveries brought the total number of different shark species found in the area to 25.

“As far as sharks are concerned, it’s not just megalodon; we recently found a new record of sawtooth sharks in the area, and more than 25 shark species have been found in the area.”

Many of these discoveries are obviously due to sheer luck. “Many of these discoveries were accidental and did not respond to systematic scientific activities,” Quilodran said.

But because the Atacama Paleontology and Natural History Research and Development Corporation was recently established, future discoveries may require more rigorous planning.

The significance of the discovery of megalodon teeth in the Atacama Desert is of great significance to science, Quilodran said: “The extremely rich remains of megalodons in this desert area opened up new ideas about many aspects of the ancient life of this extraordinary species. Shark of knowledge expectations.

“For example, what and how does it eat? New estimates of body size and growth rate, whether living alone or in groups, internal temperature and paleoenvironmental data, are many other topics that may need to be addressed.

“For its part, the Bahia Inglesa site is also rich in the remains of bony fish, marine mammals, birds and even reptiles. All the research potential for understanding the evolution of the diversity of marine vertebrates in different lineages is huge. of.”

The recently discovered megalodon teeth will eventually enter the museum, where the public will be able to see them.

Could megalodons still exist? No, Quilodran said: “The megalodon is extinct due to climate change that may have occurred about 2 million years ago.”

Nevertheless, “it is always possible to find new species and animals that science has not noticed, but at 16 meters [52 feet] For a long time, it will be very difficult if you don’t find it,” he said.

Although the megalodon is the largest shark ever, it is also possible that other species of larger carnivores prey on it.

“The megalodon is a super predator and may be at the top of the food chain… However, the teeth of another marine vertebrate have been discovered, this time a super predatory cetacean that can rival this shark,” Quilo Derain said. “This cetacean is a close relative of the sperm whale, known as Leviathan, and its fossils have also been found on the coast of Atacama.”

This story is provided by Newsweek Zenger News.