JAWS shark species 'gigantic' ancient relative discovered

In Mexico, an international team of archaeologists and paleontologists has unearthed the fossil of a colossal relative of the Great White shark that thrived alongside dinosaurs. The remarkable find, detailed in a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, was made in a limestone quarry to the northeast of the country.

This ancient creature, which inhabited the seas during the Cretaceous period, left behind exceptionally preserved bones, marking a rare discovery in paleontology. Estimated to have reached lengths of up to 30 feet, it surpassed modern great white sharks in size and belonged to the durophagous lamniforms family, possibly ranking as the largest of its kind to have ever existed.

An artist's illustration shows the newly discovered shark hunting a turtle. The fossil of a huge great white shark relative that lived among the dinosaurs has been discovered in Mexico.

Identified as belonging to the Ptychodus genus, an extinct group of sharks renowned for their formidable teeth, this specimen sheds new light on the anatomy, behavior, and ecological role of these ancient predators. Lead author Romain Vullo, a researcher at Géosciences Rennes, explained that complete fossils of Ptychodus are exceptionally scarce, requiring unique preservation conditions like those found in the Vallecillo limestone deposit.

The animatronic Great White shark featured in JAWS

The remarkably intact fossil provided researchers with insights into the creature's appearance, diet, and locomotion. The study revealed that Ptychodus likely preyed on hard-shelled animals such as sea turtles, a specialization that may have contributed to its extinction approximately 76 million years ago.

By analyzing the streamlined body shape, scientists inferred that this ancient shark was exceptionally fast-swimming, occupying a unique predatory niche in Late Cretaceous marine ecosystems. Despite these discoveries, much remains to be learned about Ptychodus and its role in prehistoric oceans.

Vullo emphasized the importance of further research, including isotope analyses of Ptychodus teeth to confirm its position as an apex predator. Additionally, there are numerous other Cretaceous shark specimens yet to be described, promising further insights into the diversity and ecology of these creatures before the close of the Mesozoic Era.

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