Overview
- A Cairo University‑led team recovered 14 fossil shark teeth from phosphate beds on the Abu‑Tartur Plateau and, in a peer‑reviewed paper, expanded the site's documented shark diversity to at least seven species.
- The newly identified teeth were attributed to Cretalamna cf. maroccana, Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon, Serratolamna cf. serrata, Squalicorax bassanii, and Squalicorax pristodontus based on comparisons with museum and published material.
- Two species, Serratolamna cf. serrata and Squalicorax bassanii, are recorded in Egypt for the first time and Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon is reported as a possible first African and unusually young occurrence, a claim the authors describe as tentative and in need of more comparison.
- The teeth come from the Duwi Formation's phosphogenic beds, which form condensed, time‑averaged deposits; researchers say the mix of tooth shapes points to multiple habitats and high marine productivity likely driven by upwelling rather than a single mass‑mortality event.
- The find fits regional patterns from other North African phosphate deposits and could reshape local Late Cretaceous biogeography, but authors stress further fieldwork, stratigraphic study, and broader fossil comparisons are needed to confirm the more provisional claims and allow future research in this active mining area.