A Columbus State University team, including Dr. Michael Newbrey and student researcher Tatianna Blake, reexamined a museum specimen and identified a 115‑million‑year‑old lamniform shark vertebra. Because no reliable method existed to estimate body length from incomplete vertebrae, the researchers developed a new protocol and estimated the animal reached roughly 27 feet (≈8.2 m) and weighed over three tons (≈2.7 t). The finding suggests giant sharks appeared about 15 million years earlier than previously thought and opens new questions about early shark ecology.
Columbus State Researchers Reidentify 115‑Million‑Year‑Old Giant Shark Vertebra — Suggests Massive Sharks Appeared Earlier
A Columbus State University team, including Dr. Michael Newbrey and student researcher Tatianna Blake, reexamined a museum specimen and identified a 115‑million‑year‑old lamniform shark vertebra. Because no reliable method existed to estimate body length from incomplete vertebrae, the researchers developed a new protocol and estimated the animal reached roughly 27 feet (≈8.2 m) and weighed over three tons (≈2.7 t). The finding suggests giant sharks appeared about 15 million years earlier than previously thought and opens new questions about early shark ecology.
09:29, 08.11.2025Science
115‑million‑year‑old shark vertebra reexamined
A research team that included Dr. Michael Newbrey and student researcher Tatianna Blake of Columbus State University has reexamined a long‑forgotten museum specimen and identified it as a vertebra from an extinct lamniform (mackerel) shark. The fossil’s age indicates that very large sharks existed nearly 15 million years earlier than previously believed.
How the discovery came to light
The vertebra was collected from the Australian coast in the 1980s and cataloged in a museum collection, where it remained unstudied for decades. Members of the current research team encountered the specimen while reviewing collections, and they invited Dr. Newbrey to join because he is one of the few specialists in fossil shark vertebrae.
Solving a measurement problem
Estimating the overall size of a shark from an incomplete vertebra is challenging because no standard method existed. The team developed a new protocol by comparing vertebrae and body lengths across multiple modern and fossil shark species. Their analysis showed consistent patterns that allow vertebral dimensions to be used to predict total body length despite differences in species and body shape.
“Once we identified what it was, we could start asking other questions: How big did they get? Why were they there? The vertebra indicates the shark was massive,” said Dr. Michael Newbrey.
Size estimate and significance
Applying their new approach, the researchers estimated the shark measured roughly 27 feet (≈8.2 meters) and weighed over three tons (≈2.7 metric tonnes). If accurate, the find pushes back the known emergence of giant lamniform sharks by about 15 million years and opens new questions about early shark ecology, distribution, and growth patterns.
Impact on researchers
Student researcher Tatianna Blake said the project ignited her interest in marine science; she is now pursuing doctoral studies. The new protocol developed in this study will help paleontologists and marine biologists extract more ecological and life‑history information from partial fossil remains.
Note: The study emphasizes the value of museum collections and reexamining archived specimens with fresh methods.