Squalicorax
Squalicorax | |
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Squalicorax pristodontus tooth from the late Maastrichtian of Khouribga, Morocco | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Family: | †Anacoracidae |
Genus: | †Squalicorax Whitley, 1939 |
Type species | |
†Squalicorax pristodontus Agassiz, 1835
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Species | |
List of species
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Squalicorax, commonly known as the crow shark, is a genus of extinct lamniform shark known to have lived during the Cretaceous period. The genus had a global distribution in the Late Cretaceous epoch. Multiple species within this genus are considered to be wastebasket taxon due to morphological similarities in the teeth.
Etymology
The name Squalicorax is derived from the Latin squalus for shark and the Greek κόραξ, "korax" for raven.
Description
Squalicorax was a medium-sized shark, typically measuring about 1.8–3 metres (5.9–9.8 ft) long. The largest specimen of S. pristodontus, SDSM 47683, was signigicantly larger, measuring up to 4.8 metres (16 ft) long.[3]
Their bodies were similar to the modern
Squalicorax was a coastal
Description of selected species
The following are the best studied American species for which relatively complete skeletons are described:
- Squalicorax falcatus (Agassiz, 1843) – is a medium-sized shark with a broad snout and relatively small teeth. Its length reached almost 3 m. It lived during the placoid scales indicate the ability to swim quickly. A fully articulated 1.9-m long fossil skeleton of Squalicorax falcatus has been found in Kansas, evidence of its presence in the Western Interior Seaway.[3]
- Squalicorax kaupi (Agassiz, 1843) is from the late Santonian to the late Maastrichtian of North America, New Zealand, Japan, Africa, Europe, Kazakhstan, Jordan. and other places. It was slightly larger than the preceding species, of which it was probably an ancestor.
- Squalicorax pristodontus (Agassiz, 1843) is the largest species, exceeding 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length. From the size of its largest known teeth, it can be estimated that S. pristodontus grew to 4.8 metres (16 ft) in length.[3] It lived during the late Campanian to early Maastrichtian of North America, France, the Netherlands, Egypt, Morocco, and Madagascar. The relatively complete remains (vertebrae and fragments of jaws) have been found in marine sediments in North America. It is the species with the largest teeth, these teeth being loosely spaced and relatively very large in comparison with other species. In this genus of sharks, studies have shown no precise correlation between the size of the teeth and the length of the body. They could eat relatively large prey and carrion.[7]
- Squalicorax volgensis - the oldest species of the genus, from the Early Cretaceous of the Volga – has been described by L. Glickman et al. in 1971. The teeth of this species had virtually no serration. They are known from the Albian to the Turonian Age in Eastern and Western Europe, as well as Texas.[7]
The world's largest and most complete semiarticulated fossil of Squalicorax was found in 2014 in stores of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba, in Canada, where it is now displayed. It measures more than 3 m in length.[8]
References
- ISBN 9780444594259.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ OCLC 808490829.
- JSTOR 3515295.
- ^ "Prehistoric sharks feasted on flying reptiles, fossil reveals". Science & Innovation. October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Lucas, Spencer G.; Sullivan, Robert M. (2006-01-01). Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from the Western Interior: Bulletin 35. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
- ^ "World's largest crow shark fossil surfaces in Manitoba". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
Sources
- H. Cappetta, Handbook of Paleoichthyology (Gustav Fischer, 1987)