Neoselachians from the Danian (Early Paleocene) of Denmark

A diverse elasmobranch fauna, including the earliest European records of Chlamydoselachus and Heptranchias howelli, was discovered in early to middle Danian deposits at Stevns Klint, Denmark. The study reveals that the K-T boundary did not mark the complete extinction of Cretaceous fauna; several species persisted into the early Paleogene. The research analyzed teeth from 27 shark species across three formations (Rødvig, Stevns Klint, and Faxe), highlighting a transition from an impoverished Maastrichtian fauna to a pronounced cold-water assemblage in slightly younger deposits. This provides critical insights into shark diversity and paleoecological shifts during the earliest Paleogene in the Boreal Sea.

Adolfssen, J., & Ward, D. (2013). Neoselachians from the Danian (Early Paleocene) of Denmark. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. https://doi.org/10.4202/app.2012.0123