A few fossilized shark teeth, spread out across the Egyptian Western Desert, can be described as unremarkable. However, they came from at least five species—expanding the local total to seven—including an extinct goblin-shark relative never before recorded in Africa.
Between 2020 and 2022, researchers collected fourteen fossilized shark teeth from sediment dating to the Late Cretaceous.
These finds hint at a time when this desert looked nothing like it does today.
How did the remains of so many different shark species end up buried beneath one of the driest regions on Earth?
These teeth came from very different predators
Among these fossilized shark teeth is Scapanorhynchus cf. S. raphiodon, an extinct relative of the modern-day goblin shark. According to the researchers, this species may represent the first known occurrence of its kind in Africa.
Also present among the findings are Serratolamna cf. S. serrata and Squalicorax bassanii; both had not previously been reported in Egypt.
The shape of the teeth varies greatly.
Some tooth forms are long and slender, while others are broad and serrated.
Additionally, there exists a curvaceous form, and some tooth forms include small side cusplets that others do not.
These distinctions are significant because tooth form typically reflects feeding behaviors and preferred habitats.
The researchers noted that the sharks represented by the fossils likely occupied different ecological niches.
Some species of sharks are believed to inhabit nearshore waterways, while others are associated with deeper waters or more expansive marine environments. Thus, the fossils indicate a varied marine ecosystem rather than a singular predator type.
The fossils point to a very different world
The shark teeth were discovered within the Duwi Formation, a geologic unit that dates back to the Late Cretaceous period. Previous work in the region had already produced fossils of fish, sea turtles, and other marine reptiles.
This location is also rich in phosphorite, a sedimentary rock typically formed under marine environments.
According to the authors of the study, their findings suggest the environment at that time was vastly different from what exists in the region today.
However, they also caution against the notion that all of the shark teeth represent animals that lived and died at the same time. Because sediment accumulated slowly, the fossils likely represent remains from different habitats and time periods rather than a single moment in time.
That distinction may prove important in understanding how seven different shark species eventually became preserved in the same part of Egypt’s desert landscape.
Long before the desert, there was a sea
Currently, the Abu-Tartur Plateau is situated within one of the driest regions on Earth. During the late Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, much of northern Africa was covered by a shallow body of water.
According to the researchers, the Duwi Formation contains evidence of this ancient marine environment through its fossil-bearing sediments and phosphate deposits.
The newly identified shark species add to that picture, suggesting that a diverse marine ecosystem once existed in a place now associated with desert landscapes.
These sharks may not have lived together
They also note that the fossils do not represent animals living together at a single moment in time.
Because sediment accumulated slowly, the fossils likely represent remains from different habitats and periods rather than a single moment in time.
Therefore, the fossil record provides a broader snapshot of ancient marine life across an extended period.
Ultimately, the discovery highlights how dramatically the region has changed over millions of years. Fossils from Egypt’s Western Desert continue to reveal evidence of a marine ecosystem that existed long before the modern desert emerged.
To learn more about this discovery, you can check the full study here: Yassin, T., Carrillo-Briceño, J. D., Kindlimann, R., Ibrahim, A., & AbdelGawad, M. K. (2026). Egyptian shark graveyard: New Late Cretaceous Lamniform shark Assemblage from Duwi Formation of Abu-Tartur Area, Southwestern desert, Egypt. Cretaceous Research, 106476.
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