A shark that roamed the primeval sea named in honor of Charlotte man
A recently discovered shark species that roamed an ancient sea in the southeastern United States has been named after a Charlotte man.
“Needless to say, I’m honored,” John Mackay said when reached at home by The Charlotte Observer Wednesday.
A team of scientists named the species Mennerotodus mackayi to recognize his near-lifelong mission furthering science education.
The 71-year-old Mackay is a former longtime president/CEO of Discovery Place in Charlotte.
He also was the first president of the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Ala., where a team of scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of two new fossil shark species, including Mackay’s.
Scientists discovered the species through hundreds of shark teeth found in rock layers in central Alabama, Jun Ebersole, director of collections at the McWane Science Center, said in a video announcement.
Ebersole was part of the team of scientists who named the two species.
David Cicimurri, curator of natural history at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, headed the team, which also included George Martin, a retired USDA soil scientist from Auburn, Ala.
The Mennerotodus mackayi species, whose modern cousin is the sandtiger shark, dates back roughly 65 million years, just after dinosaurs went extinct, Ebersole said.
“Like in modern sandtiger sharks, the front teeth in the mouths of the fossil species are very tall and fang-like,” Ebersole said. “These teeth often project out of the mouth, giving the shark a snaggle-toothed appearance, and were perfect for feeding on fishes, crabs, squids, and even other sharks.”
The species named for Mackay “was likely one of the more common species in the ancient Gulf of Mexico,” Ebersole said. Ebersole was among the team of scientists who announced the two new species Wednesday.
Mackay told the Observer his fascination with collections of artifacts began as a boy.
He was 10 or 11 when he began helping at the Charlotte Nature Museum in Freedom Park in 1961, he said. He admired its collections of Native American artifacts, insects and vertebrae.
He said he’s known since January about the shark species being named for him. Ebersole surprised him with the news when Mackay happened to return for a visit to the McWane Science Center, Mackay told the Observer.
He thought Ebersole was kidding him at first, he said.
“’No, it’s for real,’” Ebersole replied.
The discoveries hadn’t been published, so they couldn’t be publicly disclosed at the time, Mackay said.
He quipped to the Observer that his six grandchildren probably consider him a fossil, so it’s fitting he’s given his name to one.
But he’s truly “honored and flattered” by the naming of the species in recognition of his career and passion, he said.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "A shark that roamed the primeval sea named in honor of Charlotte man."