JAN JUC, AUSTRALIA — It's not quite the megalodon, but a jawful of sharp, serrated teeth provides rare evidence of a similarly ferocious mega-shark that once stalked the ancient waters down under.<br /><br />According to a press release from Museums Victoria, amateur fossil enthusiast Philip Mullaly discovered a set of sharp teeth sticking out of a boulder on Australia's Jan Juc coast. He contacted Museums Victoria, and further exploration revealed several more.<br /><br />The teeth belonged to the Great Narrow Jagged-Toothed Shark, which grew to over nine meters long — twice the size of a Great White.<br /><br />The prehistoric predator lived approximately 25 million years ago and are believed to have preyed on small whales and penguins.<br /><br />Shark skeletons are mostly made of cartilage, which doesn't fossilize well. Only single teeth and bits of vertebra are usually found, so multiple sets from a single shark is a rare find.<br /><br />Apart from the mega-shark, teeth from several Sixgill sharks were also uncovered, leading the team to believe a school of the bottom-feeding Sixgills may have feasted on the mega-shark's carcass.<br /><br />The fossilized teeth collection is with Museums Victoria, and will be on public display for six months.
