300 million-year-old Shark Fossil Found in Kentucky

A miner working 700 feet underground for Webster County Coal mine found a 300-million-year-old shark fossil in a central Kentucky mine. The shark jawbone was found on February 24 in Webster County by Jay Wright, who is a 25-year-old continuous miner operator for Webster County Coal. The black jawbone is supposed to be from a shark from the Edestus genus which one time swam the seas over that is Kentucky at present.

Image source: ctv.ca

The black shark fossil found is a big critter, approximately 20 to 25 feet long and has weight about 1,000 pounds. It has curved jaw, sharp and large teeth, the superior to tear apart the soft fish. Recently, researchers at the UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Kentucky Geological Survey are studying on this 300-million-year-old shark fossil. As per the Jerry Weisenfluh, who is associate director of the Kentucky Geological Survey in Lexington, a fossil this large is uncommon. At present, it is on display in the lobby of UK's Mines and Mineral Resources Building in Lexington.