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The teeth of several species of shark, including the ancient megalodon, have been discovered in Mexico.
The fossilized teeth, some of which may be 2.5 million years old, were discovered in the city of Maderia, according to the Daily Mail, which cited local press. It's believed that Maderia was underwater millions of years ago, a theory that has been given credence with the new evidence.
In total, there were three different species of shark teeth discovered — megalodon, shortfin mako and sawshark — accounting for 13 of the 15 dental fossils. A fossilized vertebra that may have belonged to an extinct animal and fossilized human bones were also discovered.
The fossils were discovered in the Xoc cenote by photographer Kay Nicte Vilchis Zapata and cave expert Erick Sosa Rodriguez.(Credit: CEN/Erick Sosa-Kay Vilchis)
370M-YEAR-OLD COMPLETE SHARK SKELETON FOUND FOR FIRST TIME EVER
The fossils were discovered in the Xoc cenote by photographer Kay Nicte Vilchis Zapata and cave expert Erick Sosa Rodriguez.
In an interview with local media, Zapata said they were looking at the wall of the cave and noticed something strange. "We were looking at the wall and suddenly I saw a little something, I went closer and I saw that it was a tooth, that was the first and apparently it belonged to a sawshark," Zapata explained.
This is the moment two divers find 13 teeth which are believed to belong to three different species of sharks - including megalodon - which existed over 2.5 million years ago. (Credit: CEN/Erick Sosa-Kay Vilchis)
Sawshark generally inhabit tropical and temperate waters, spanning from the western Atlantic (Florida, Bahamas and Cuba) to the southwestern part of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, according to Shark Savers. Shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) can sustain swimming speeds of 20 mph with short bursts of up 50 mph, according to Marine Bio.
Isurus oxyrinchus has also been found in warm and temperate waters and juveniles makos "are common in southern California during the summer months."
Fossilized teeth of the megalodon, which may have been wiped out by its successor, the great white, have been found all over. Several have been found in North Carolina, including one discovery in April and another in July.
In 2018, an Australian teacher stumbled upon the finding of a lifetime when he uncovered a set of fossilized 3-inch teeth from an extinct shark, known as the great jagged narrow-toothed shark or Carcharocles angustidens.
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