Sharks in the Heart of the Desert: The Mystery of the Abu Tartur Plateau

An arid desert stretches today on the Abu Tartur plateau in Egypt, but new findings raise the possibility that in the distant past, the environment looked completely different. Researchers from Cairo University discovered 14 fossilized shark teeth at the site, which they identified as belonging to five extinct species. According to the study published in the journal "Cretaceous Research", the area was likely part of a rich marine environment, in which a great variety of animals existed.

The findings were discovered in the phosphate layers of the Dui formation. Today, it is a dry and desert area, but researchers believe that in the past, it was covered by water. In a previous study, paleontologist Tarek Yasin and his colleagues identified two other shark species using teeth found at the site. The discovery sparked interest, because an environment capable of supporting several large predators usually requires a rich food web.

Following the findings, the team returned to Abu Tartur to check for other remains. The search yielded 14 teeth, whose examination pointed to five species not previously identified at the site. Together with previous discoveries, researchers now point to at least seven shark species in the area.

Analyzing the Fossils

Shark skeletons are composed mainly of cartilage, which does not preserve easily; therefore, teeth are often the primary remnant allowing scientists to identify extinct species. In this case, clear differences were found between samples: some teeth were long and thin, while others were characterized by a wide and serrated structure suitable for cutting prey. Some samples even featured small fang-like protrusions.

Researchers identified the following species: Cretalamna cf. maroccana, Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon, Serratolamna cf. serrata, Squalicorax bassanii, and Squalicorax pristodontus. According to the study, Serratolamna cf. serrata and Squalicorax bassanii had not been previously documented in Egypt. The teeth attributed to Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon sparked even greater interest, as they may represent the first known evidence of this species in Africa.

Geological Context

How did sharks reach a place that is now a desert? The Earth's surface changes, and marine areas can turn into land following various geological processes. When conditions changed and the water receded, the sediments that formed on the bottom remained in place along with the remains of the animals that accumulated within them. The extensive phosphate deposits in the area provide further evidence of a marine environment with high biological activity, where nutrient-rich water rose from the depths to support a thriving food web.

Judaism and Scientific Findings

Finding marine fossils in the heart of the land often raises questions for those seeking to reconcile scientific research with the description of creation in the book of Genesis. There is no single agreed-upon position in Judaism regarding this; various approaches exist:

Traditional approach: Some hold to a literal interpretation of the six days of creation and link large-scale geological changes to the Flood.
Symbolic approach: Many thinkers, including Maimonides, viewed the days of creation as deep, metaphorical stages rather than 24-hour days.
Rabbi Kook's approach: He did not see the possibility of an ancient world as a threat to faith, arguing that the Torah is not a geology textbook.
Distinction of concepts: Some modern thinkers distinguish between the physical age of the world and the biblical count related to human history.

Researchers emphasize that the accumulation of sediments was relatively slow, meaning the teeth represent remains that gathered over different periods. Today, almost nothing in the desert landscape reminds one of the environment that researchers are reconstructing, but these few teeth provide a glimpse into a world where a rich marine system once existed.