DARWIN, AUSTRALIA – November 29, 2025 – Paleontologists unveiled Friday fossils of an 8-meter lamniform shark from 115 million years ago, pushing back the timeline for mega-predator evolution by 15 million years.
Discovered on Darwin's coastline, five vertebrae—larger than modern great whites'—belong to a cardabiodontid, an early mackerel shark ancestor. Swedish Museum of Natural History's Mikael Siversson: "This giant patrolled shallow Tethys seas alongside plesiosaurs."
CT scans and comparisons confirm the shark's bus-length body, weighing three tonnes. Co-author Mohamad Bazzi: "Sharks reached apex status earlier than thought, challenging dinosaur-era narratives."
The site yields ichthyosaurs and fish fossils, painting a vibrant ecosystem. Unlike rare shark skeletons, teeth abound, but these vertebrae offer size insights.
Published in Communications Biology, findings suggest rapid gigantism in 20 million years. Implications: Revised marine food webs, with lamniforms predating Cretoxyrhina.
Museum exhibit opens December; experts eye more digs.
