Science.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1629, 5 October 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

Science.

Reconstructing a Shark.

When the famous phosphate beds were discovered in JBoulh Carolina some yeara ago, I vael nurobeifl of bo»ee &ni teeth were üb1 earthed, showing ib&t ia early times this locality had been peopled by a great concourse of strange forms. Among the most abundant curiosities, as tho workmen termed them, were quantities of enormous teeth, triangular in shape and serrated on the outting edge. When shown to a naturalist they were immediately recognised aB shark teeth, and it became evident that at one time tha locality in the vicinity cf Charleston was the bed of an ocean, and that gigantic sharks flourished there in great numbers. Whenever the beds of the Ashley and Cooper rivers are dredged numbers of these teeth are brought up, and ono in my collection is nearly, if not quite, as large as my hand. As the bones of the shark are of cartilage, they have long since been destroyed, and only these beautifully polished teeth— for they are as freab and glistening as when first discovered— are left to tell the story. It would appear to be an impossible task to restore this giant from a single tootb. But it is not so difficult as one might imagine. From the shape of the tooth of the great Caroharodon we can form come idea of its appearanoe by comparing it with existing sharks, and from its size we oan determine how large it was. One day I attempted a rough restoration to gain come idea of the dimensions of the giant. I had in my possession the jaw of a Bhark which I bad caught in the Gulf of Mexico, which would at tho time pass readily over my ehonlders. Tha shark waa about thirteen ieefc long and the teelh about an mob. and two-eiglifcg wide, and aa inch and a hall in length. There wera eight rows of these, eaoh row being a little smaller than the last, until they dwindled down to mere points. I took aB many of the fossil teeth as I had, and built up the jaw after tbe existing model, using teeth where I had them and leaving spaces where I did not. Gradually the preafc month grew on the floor until I found myself a small item in the area, and whan completed I found that the largess fossil shark could have opened its mouth and allowed mo to drive in a top buggy, and thai; its length could net have been less in proportion than 125 or 130 feet.