Ancient SHARK graveyard found in Egypt desert as scientists hail ‘extraordinary’ discovery with seven different species

AN Egyptian desert may have once been home to sharks and other marine animals, an “extraordinary” discovery has revealed. Scientists have found the remains of at least seven species of extinct sharks in one of the driest regions on Earth. Scientists have discovered evidence of a historic marine ecosystem at the heart of the Egyptian desert Credit: Getty Seven extinct shark species were found on a layer of rock in Egypt, hinting to a history of marine wildlife in a centuries-long desert Credit: Yassin et al., Cretac. Res., 2026 Teeth belonging to seven extinct shark species have been found in a layer of the Duwi Formation geological rock in Egypt. Located in the Western Desert of Egpyt, the rock resides on the Abu-Tartur Plateau – a 650kilometre region of flat land southwest of Cairo. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! The plateau, that can reach daytime temperatures of nearly 39C, receives virtually no rain, making it a desert. However, the discovery of the teeth reveals that the area was once the sea bed for a marine ecosystem. During the Cretaceous period between 145 to 66 million years ago, where the teeth date back to, the world was warmer with considerably less polar ice. Due to this, and higher sea levels, much of the land inhabited today was buried underwater, including northern Africa where the teeth were found. The Duwi Formation is built from extensive phosphate deposits which can preserve certain artefacts from the ancient marine ecosystems. Tarek Yassin, a paleontologist at Cairo University, coordinated the research, initially identifying two sets of fossilised teeth before returning to uncover more. Most read in Tech His research found that the shape of the teeth varied between species, with some teeth being thin and needle-like, whereas some were broad with serrated edges. Following analysis of the teeth, five extinct species were identified: Cretalamna cf. maroccana, Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon, Serratolamna cf. serrata, Squalicorax bassanii, and Squalicorax pristodontus. Two species had never been uncovered in Egypt before, including the Serratolamna cf. serrate Squalicorax bassanii, However, the Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon revealed the most, with its needle-like teeth being the first ever found in the entirety of Africa. Various other places with phosphate deposits, such as Morocco and Syria, have uncovered large numbers of shark species, suggesting that vast swathes of North Africa were home to marine wildlife during this time. After the remnants of this bone graveyard were found, scientists can plot out more and more areas of desert that were once home to sharks and fish. Comment now