Shark Saturday (Part 3)
Hi Bestie!!
My life has been consumed with job hunting. (It was before, but now my last remaining job has pulled the rug, too.) Seriously: I haven’t decorated for Halloween.
But it’s Shark Saturday! We (I) will persevere; a new species of petalodont shark was discovered in Mammoth Cave National Park last week.
Gosh, it’s good to be alive.
“The new shark species, Strigilodus tollesonae, was discovered from spoon-like teeth found in a cave's wall and ceiling.” The discovery was announced on October 11, National Fossil Day. The news gets even better: “The species Strigilodus tollesonae is named after Kelli Tolleson, a guide at Mammoth Cave National Park who provided exceptional field support to the collaboration.”
This is not the only species found in the 350 million-year-old cave! At least 70 species of ancient fish have been discovered as well.
I’m going to quote from the original article, again: “Tolleson discovered essential fossil sites in remote and challenging locations, according to the release. Access is limited due to the rugged terrain. The fossils are found in cave walls or ceilings and are collected using small handheld tools by researchers and volunteers who crawl long distances on hands, knees, and bellies.” No, thank you!! If there is one thing I am not doing it’s scooting through a cave on my belly. I am so grateful that someone else would, for science.
Petalodont sharks are distantly related to the chimaera, a small shark also known as the ghost fish or the rat fish. Petalodontidae are primarily identified through teeth and have been found in the United States and Europe.
If you saw "chimaera" and thought, "that's not real," I too, thought of "chimera," the creature from Greek folklore.
The illustration that’s been provided of strigilodus tollesonae, which I uploaded without permission, shows a U-shaped (or V-shaped) shark. Research indicated that the skate-like shark had a mouth similar to a skate or a ray. Most of what is known about the shark is based on the teeth and the formation they were found in, and I just can’t get over how cool that is.
DRIBS AND DRABS
I was [being me] and ended up forwarding the 3,000-word treatise on the Drummond Family to my mom’s email (twice, actually) and I guess my dad read it, and he is now 1) calling Killers of the Flower Moon “Katherine’s movie” (OMG, THANK YOU) and 2) plans on seeing it. My dad is private, so I’ll limit myself, but despite basically watching movies all day at home (slay, king) he’s not participating in public events and rarely goes to the movies. This newsletter was worth it.
A bummer if you were going as Carmy. If I ever dress up again, I’m going to be Greg.
Always your friend,
Katherine
Sources (MLA 9)
Cohen, Danielle. “How Not to Scab on Halloween.” The Cut, 20 Oct. 2023, www.thecut.com/2023/10/sag-aftra-halloween-rules.html.
Hill, Katherine. “The Frontier Was Always Stolen.” Too Loud and Too Old, Buttondown, 1 Oct. 2023, buttondown.email/KatherineMHill/archive/the-frontier-was-always-stolen/.
Louallen, Doc. “New Shark Species Discovered in Mammoth Cave National Park Fossils, Researchers Say.” MSN, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2023, www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-shark-species-discovered-in-mammoth-cave-national-park-fossils-researchers-say/ar-AA1itBt4.
“National Fossil Day (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2023.
“Strigilodus Tollesonae.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigilodus_tollesonae.