Crossing the boundary: an elasmobranch fauna from S tevns K lint, D enmark

A study of elasmobranch (shark and ray) fossils from Stevns Klint, Denmark, reveals that the fauna experienced only a 33% extinction rate during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/T) mass extinction event, contrasting sharply with the 96% extinction observed in Morocco. The research documents rapid recovery of diversity within millennia post-impact, attributing pre-boundary declines to sudden sea-level changes rather than the bolide impact itself. Precision sampling identified rare species like Parasquatina and Echinorhinus, including Europe's first Nebrius fossil, offering new insights into elasmobranch resilience during global crises.

Adolfssen, J. S., & Ward, D. J. (2013). Crossing the boundary: an elasmobranch fauna from Stevns Klint, Denmark. Palaeontology, 57(3), 591–629. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12079