What was found: ancient shark vertebraeResearchers uncovered five large fossilised vertebrae of a shark — not just teeth (which is more common), but actual vertebral centra that had partially mineralised, helping preserve them.
These vertebrae are enormous: up to 12.6 cm diameter. For context — vertebrae of a modern adult Great White Shark are typically ~8 cm wide.
Based on that size, scientists estimate the shark measured 6–8 metres long and weighed over 3 tonnes — making it a giant predator of its time.
The fossils have been identified as belonging to an extinct lineage of large “lamniform” sharks — specifically from the group Cardabiodontidae.
Where exactly they were found: northern-Darwin coast (Darwin Formation, near Casuarina Beach)The fossils come from the “Darwin Formation,” which outcrops along the coast near Darwin, in northern Australia.
According to reports, the vertebrae were recovered from shore-platform outcrops at Casuarina Beach (in Darwin’s northern suburb area) — a locale known for yielding marine-fossil material (marine reptiles, fish, etc.) from when this area was under the sea.
Back when the shark lived — about 115 million years ago — that coast was part of the seafloor of an ancient sea (the remnants of an old ocean basin).
What it means: ancient seas and early mega-sharksThe find shows that sharks in this region were already evolving to “mega-body” size much earlier than previously thought. The study suggests that large lamniform sharks — ancestors or relatives of modern big sharks — were apex predators in Cretaceous seas off northern Australia.
Because shark skeletons are mostly cartilage (which rarely fossilises), it’s rare to get vertebrae — most fossil shark finds are teeth. That makes these vertebrae especially valuable: they give direct insight into body size and anatomy, not just diet.
