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Ancient shark ‘graveyard’ uncovered in Egyptian desert

On Aug 27, 2026

Scientists have uncovered an ancient shark “graveyard” in the middle of the Egyptian desert.

Fossilized teeth from seven shark species dating back millions of years were discovered in the Abu-Tartur Plateau ‪—‬ located in Egypt’s Western Desert ‪—‬ between 2020 and 2022, offering new insight into the desert’s watery past. The researchers detailed their discovery in a study published Aug. 18 in the journal Cretaceous Research

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The Abu-Tartur Plateau lies along the Duwi Formation, a Late Cretaceous geological rock formation that spans Egypt’s Eastern and Western deserts. Previous research had already uncovered fossils of fish, sea turtles and other marine reptiles in this region, hinting at the thriving ocean ecosystem that once existed there. The rocks are also rich in phosphorite, a type of sedimentary rock that often forms from the shells and bones of marine animals.

Yassin and colleagues had previously found fossilized teeth from two types of mackerel shark, but further expeditions between 2020 and 2022 uncovered 14 more fossilized teeth belonging to at least five additional shark species. One of these species, Scapanorhynchus raphiodon, an ancient relative of present-day goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni), had never been reported in Africa before. Another two,Serratolamna serrata and Squalicorax bassanii, had never been seen in Egypt.

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