Story perspectives

Ancient Shark Fossils Reveal 115-Million-Year Legacy

12/13/2025

44 5

Summary

Story summary

A Cretaceous-era shark, an ancestor of today’s great white, was identified off northern Australia and dated to 115 million years ago.
It measured about 8 meters (26 feet) long, the earliest known mega-predator of its lineage.
Vertebrae found near Darwin were among late 1980s–1990s fossils that had been overlooked.
The study in Communications Biology notes evolutionary success and argues past sharks help predict modern responses to environmental change.

1 of 1

Story summary

A Cretaceous-era shark, an ancestor of today’s great white, was identified off northern Australia and dated to 115 million years ago.
It measured about 8 meters (26 feet) long, the earliest known mega-predator of its lineage.
Vertebrae found near Darwin were among late 1980s–1990s fossils that had been overlooked.
The study in Communications Biology notes evolutionary success and argues past sharks help predict modern responses to environmental change.