Overview

• Macadens olsoni was confirmed as a new 340-million-year-old shark species discovered in the Ste. Genevieve Formation of Mammoth Cave National Park.
• It is distinguished by a specialized tooth whorl used to crush mollusks and worms and likely grew to less than a foot in length.
• The discovery represents the fifth new shark species identified in the cave system and builds on the cataloging of over 40 fossil shark species in the past ten months.
• Researchers also reclassified a previously identified species, renaming Helodus coxanus as Rotuladens to reflect its distinctive wheel-shaped teeth.
• A joint team from the National Park Service Paleontology Program, Mammoth Cave National Park and the Smithsonian Paleobiology Department is preparing museum exhibits and digital models to share these paleontological finds with the public.