Published 14:19 IST, November 4th 2019
2.5 mn-years-old shark teeth may prove existance of an underwater city
2.5 million-year-old shark teeth might be evidence of the underwater Mexican city of Madeira. The fossils belong to megalodon, mackerel, saw shark species.
- World News
- 3 min read
Anthropologists' theory that the city of Maderia in Mexico was actually once underneath the sea might just be true as divers have reportedly found shark teeth in an inland sinkhole in Mexico. The 2.5-million-years-old shark teeth support the theory that the capital of Yucatan may have once been underwater. A total of 15 dental fossils were found, of which 13 belong to prehistoric three different species of sharks which includes megalodon species.
The fossils were discovered in the Xoc cenote meaning shark in the Mayan language while cenote means a natural sinkhole.
Shark teeth fossil belongs to extinct species
Speleologist and photographer Kay Nicte Vilchis Zapata and her partner Erick Sosa Rodriguez were the ones who made the discovery. As per reports, the couple was diving into the sinkhole and inspecting the walls. All of a sudden they came across something peculiar, and it turned out to be ancient shark teeth. They confirmed it to be teeth of a broader category of saw shark. Reports added that an initial exam of all the dental fossils revealed they might belong to the prehistoric and extinct species of megalodon shark, mackerel shark, and saw shark. While mackerel and saw shark still exists, megalodon has become extinct.
History of Madeira
Madeira is a popular year-round resort, visited by around 1.4 million tourists every year. Owing to Madeira wine, gastronomy, historical and cultural value, flora and fauna, landscapes, the Laurel forest of Madeira was classified as UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in December 1999. The island was explored back in 75 AD by a Roman soldier named Quintus Sertorius and his army. Further, archeological evidence suggests that the islands may have been visited by the Vikings sometime between 900 and 1030. In 1419, an expedition under the captaincy of Zarco, Vaz Teixeira, and Bartolomeu Perestrello, traveled to the island to claim it on behalf of the Portuguese Crown.
In 1419, two captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, João Gonçalves Zarco, and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven by a storm to the island. The next year an expedition was sent to the island to take possession on behalf of the Portuguese crown, together with captain Bartolomeu Perestrello.
Updated 15:15 IST, November 4th 2019