Two new shark species at Mammoth Cave National Park

MAMMOTH CAVE, KY.- Two new shark species were discovered at Mammoth Cave National Park. The staff discovered the sharks were not known to science, and they are more than three hundred forty million years old.

They named them after the cave superintendent and a volunteer group that’s worked with the park since 1957. Not only will these new additions be great for the park, they will also be worthwhile for the people who come to visit.

Rick Toomey, the cave specialist at Mammoth Cave National Park shares what our response would be today if we saw these sharks in the water. He says, “These are ones that if you jumped in the water 340 million years ago, you looked at them, you’d know they were a shark. They just look like the sharks we see today. This is an exciting discovery. “

Mammoth Cave National Park discovered over 70 species so far. The staff and volunteers are continuing the search for more undiscovered species. For more information on the new shark species visit https://www.nps.gov/maca/learn/news/two-new-species-of-ancient-sharks-identified-through-research-at-mammoth-cave-national-park.htm.