, a paleontologist at the College of Charleston in South Carolina who also wasn’t involved in the research, and his colleagues previously suggested.
By contrast, zinc—an essential nutrient for plants, animals, and other organisms—is deposited in the strongest part of the teeth: the enamel, or in the case of sharks, enameloid. This is preserved when the teeth fossilize. What’s more, the proportion of “lighter” zinc increases relative to the “heavier” zinc isotope in animals higher up the food chain. Scientists have only recently begun using this technique, McCormack says, and his team’s study is the first to apply it to sharks.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say they were definitely the top predators of that marine ecosystem,” McCormack says. But both shark species “were high up the food chain for sure.” Baleen whales consume vast quantities of organisms low in the food chain such as krill, instead of the bulkier fish, seals, and other animals favored by toothed whales, Boessenecker said. This means thatScientists discovered new shark species with chainsaw-like nosesLater, baleen whales—much smaller than their present-day relatives—appeared on the scene and might have been fair game for megalodon and early great whites.
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