Today the desert, millions of years ago it was a sea! 7 distinct shark species were discovered in Egypt.

In the paleontological excavations carried out today in Egypt's Abu‑Tartur Plateau, which is now covered by arid deserts, striking findings about the region's rich marine life that existed millions of years ago were uncovered.

Research conducted in the phosphate layers of the Duwi Formation uncovered 14 fossilized shark teeth belonging to five extinct species. The study, published in Cretaceous Research, notes that including the two species previously identified in the area, the number of shark species recorded at Abu‑Tartur is at least seven.

Today the Desert Was the Sea Millions of Years Ago

According to scientists, during the Cretaceous period, roughly 145 to 66 million years ago, high global temperatures and sea levels caused significant portions of North Africa to be submerged.

It is said that the extensive phosphate beds at Abu‑Tartur also bear traces of these ancient seas. Fossils reveal that the region was not only covered by water but also hosted an exceptionally rich ecosystem.

Some Species First Detected in Egypt

Shark teeth belonging to the genera Cretalamna, Scapanorhynchus, Serratolamna, and Squalicorax were found in the dig.

Among them, it was reported that the species Serratolamna cf. serrata and Squalicorax bassanii were recorded for the first time in Egypt. The Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon specimen, noted for its long, needle‑shaped teeth, was considered possibly the first known example in Africa.

Researchers also pointed out that this fossil could be one of the youngest specimens in the fossil record of the species.

Food‑rich waters have attracted sharks.

Experts believe that the high species diversity in the region is underpinned by the transport of nutrient‑rich bottom waters to the surface.

It is said that phosphorus and minerals reaching the surface from the depths increase plankton populations, which in turn promotes the proliferation of marine organisms, especially small fish and invertebrates. The resulting extensive food web laid the groundwork for even the apex predators of the time, sharks, to be drawn to the area.

Fossils do not bear the trace of a single disaster.

Researchers underscored that the fossil layer was not the result of a mass death event or sudden catastrophe.

It is considered that remains of organisms that lived in different periods and ecological settings accumulated in the same phosphate layer over time due to low sedimentation rates.

New findings reveal that during the Late Cretaceous, the areas now covered by deserts in North Africa hosted extremely rich marine ecosystems, including dogfish.