Researchers have discovered the first of its kind nursery grounds for great white sharks that dates back nearly 5 million years off the coast of South America.
An international research team led by Jaime A. Villafaña from the Institute of paleontology at the University of Vienna discovered the fossil site which contained 5 to 2 million year old fossil teeth of juvenile great whites off the coast of Chile and Peru. They noticed that teeth of sexually mature adults were completely absent from these sites, leading them to believe that they had come upon the first known ancient nursery site.
“Our knowledge about current breeding grounds of the great white shark is still very limited, however, and paleo-nurseries are completely unknown,” Villafaña said.
The discovery is also important because it helps track the change in ocean temperatures over time.
“If we understand the past, it will enable us to take appropriate protective measures today to ensure the survival of this top predator, which is of utmost importance for ecosystems,” explains paleobiologist Jürgen Kriwet: “Our results indicate that rising sea surface temperatures will change the distribution of fish in temperate zones and shift these important breeding grounds in the future.”