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Abstract

The Aitamir Formation is one of the most important Cretaceous units in the Kopet-Dagh sedimentary basin in northern and northeastern Iran. The dominant lithology of this formation consists of sandstone, olive-green glauconitic shales, and three coquina beds. The Behkadeh Razavi section is situated west of Ashkhaneh. In this study, a total of 44 fossil shark teeth were collected from the shaly deposits of the upper part of the Aitamir Formation near Behkadeh Razavi. After cleaning the samples, microscopic investigations and systematic descriptions were conducted, leading to the identification of four species across four genera: Ptychodus decurrens, Scapanorhynchus raphiodon, Cretodus crassidens, and Cretoxyrhina sp. Comparative analysis of these specimens with similar material from other parts of the world, along with the comparison of their relative ages and the fact that all specimens were discovered within the same stratigraphic horizon in the studied Aitamir Formation, indicates that the age of the fossil-bearing deposits is Cenomanian. The obtained age is in complete agreement with age determinations based on foraminifera. Furthermore, the presence of these fossils and their associated paleoecological implications provide important information for reconstructing the paleoenvironment.

Keywords

Kopet-Dagh sedimentary basin Aitamir formation Behkadeh Razavi Shark teeth Foraminifera

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The authors transfer the copyrights of their papers to the Iranian Society of Ichthyology. However, the information could be used in accordance with the Creative Commons licence (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

How to Cite
VAEZNIA, P., VAHIDI NIA, M., MOUSAVI NIA, A., & KHOSRAVI, E. (2026). The first report of fossil shark remains in the Aitamir Formation and determination of its precise age based on Foraminifera in the Behkadeh Razavi section, western part of the Kopet-Dagh sedimentary basin. Iranian Journal of Ichthyology, 13(2), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.22034/iji.v13i2.1157
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