"The teeth unearthed in Tuscany belong to a species which differs from the living frilled shark only by its larger size," Cigala Fulgosi, an authority on fossil sharks, told Discovery News. "The teeth suggest an animal approximately 2.5 metres [8.2 feet] in length." Reporting the finding in the latest issue of the journal Cainozoic Research, Cigala Fulgosi traced the discovery of identical fossilized shark teeth back to 1876. At that time the naturalist Robert Lawley published the first pictures of a fossil teeth of Chlamydoselachus -- nine of which he had collected in a village some 50 miles from Castelnuovo Berardenga. Along with the Chlamydoselachus shark teeth, Casati and his team unearthed other fossils which included otoliths (ear stones which in fish play a role in hearing and balance) and teeth from other deep-water sharks. According to Cigala Fulgosi, these fossil remains indicate that the site had a sufficiently deep connection with the Atlantic Ocean through the Gibaltrar Strait. "What's really important in this discovery is the great abundance of Chlamydoselachus teeth, all concentrated in such a small area. We can't say why they all ended up there. We cannot exclude that they died because of currents, sea bottom depressions or traps. Everything can happen underwater," Cigala Fulgosi said. The idea that, beneath the vines that today produce the renowned Chianti Classico red wine, there was once a world populated by sharks, delights winegrowers in the area. According to Albiera Antinori, whose family has made wine for more than 600 years, the finding shows once again the special nature of the Chianti soil. "We know that million-year-old minerals and deposits enrich this region. It's this special earth that makes our wines really unique," Antinori told Discovery News. Related Links: |
advertisement
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
