Rare, nearly complete fossil reveals giant among Jurassic sharks
A absolute unit from ancient times. Listen - 01:25
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This illustration shows what the hybodontiform shark Asteracanthus might have looked like, along with silhouettes showing the shark next to a person for scale. Sebastian Stumpf/Fabrizio De Rossi
Sharks tend to be much harder to find preserved in fossil form than their bony dinosaur buddies. Shark cartilage breaks down, which is one reason a spectacular shark fossil found in Bavarian limestone is worthy of celebration. It s big, it s nearly complete and it s a rare window into the sharky side of the Jurassic past.
| UPDATED: 20:34, Thu, Jan 14, 2021
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An “exceptionally” well-preserved skeleton of the ancient shark Asteracanthus has been revealed to the world for the first time. This remarkable rare fossil originated from Bavaria’s Solnhofen limestones.
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These were originally formed in a tropical-subtropical lagoon landscape during the Late Jurassic era, approximately 150 million years ago.