Cretoxyrhina
| Cretoxyrhina Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
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Fossil
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| Genus: | Cretoxyrhina
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| Species: | C. mantelli
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| Cretoxyrhina mantelli | |
Cretoxyrhina mantelli was a large shark that lived during the Cretaceous period, about 100 to 82 million years ago.
Known physiology
Identification and preserved specimens
This shark was first identified by a famous Swiss Naturalist, Louis Agassiz in 1843, as Cretoxyhrina mantelli. However, the most complete specimen of this shark was discovered in 1890, by a fossil hunter, Charles H. Sternberg. He published his findings of this specimen in 1907. This specimen comprised of nearly complete associated vertebral column and over 250 associated teeth. Such kind of exceptional preservation of fossil sharks is rare because shark's skeleton is made of cartilage, which is not good at fossilization. Charles dubbed this specimen as Oxyrhina mantelli. This specimen represented a 20 foot long shark. It was excavated from Hackberry creek, Gove county, Kansas.[1]
In later years, several other specimens have also been found. One such specimen was discovered in 1891 by George Sternberg, and was stored in a Munich museum. This specimen was also reported to be 20 feet long but was destroyed during a bombing raid on Munich in WWII.[1]
The assignment of name Ginsu
This shark had no common name in the early literature (i.e. over 30 synonyms were assigned),[1] and since it fed by slicing up its victims into bite-size pieces, paleontologists[who?] assigned the title of the Ginsu Shark[citation needed] to Cretoxyhrina mantelli. The word Ginsu refers to slicing and dicing.
Physical anatomy
The Ginsu shark is among the most well understood fossil sharks to date. Several preserved specimens have revealed a great deal of insight about the physical features and lifestyle of this ancient predatory shark.
Teeth
The fossil teeth of C. mantelli are up to 7 cm long,[2] curved, and smooth-edged, with a thick enamel coating.
Size
C. mantelli grew up to 7.5 metres (25 ft) long and was larger than the extant great white shark, Carcharodon carharias.
Physical appearance
The specimen from Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas supports the idea that the body form of C. mantelli resembled that of the extant great white shark.[3] The caudal fin morphology of the Ginsu shark indicates that it was an active shark, capable of fast swimming.[3]
Range
This shark lived in Cenomanian–Campanian seas worldwide, including in the Western Interior Seaway of North America.[3]
Dietary preferences
The Ginsu shark was the largest shark in its time and was among the chief predators of the seas. Fossil records revealed that it preyed upon a variety of marine animals such as, Mosasaurs,[4] Plesiosaurs,[5] Xiphactinus,[6] and protostegid turtles.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Everhart, Mike, A GIANT GINSU SHARK (Cretoxyrhina mantelli Agassiz) From Late CRETACEOUS Chalk of KANSAS
- ^ Everhart, Mike, Large Sharks in the Western Interior Sea
- ^ a b c Shimada, Kenshu, Cumbaa, S. L., Rooyen, D. V. (2006). "Caudal Fin Skeleton of the LATE CRETACEOUS LAMNIFORM SHARK, CRETOXYRHINA MANTELLI, from the NIOBRARA CHALK OF KANSAS" (PDF). New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Rothschild, B. M. (2005). "Sharks eating mosasaurs, dead or alive?" (PDF). Netherlands Journal of Geosciencesvolume 21 (4): 335–340. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Everhart, M. J. (2005). "Bite marks on an elasmosaur (Sauropterygia; Plesiosauria) paddle from the Niobrara Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) as probable evidence of feeding by the lamniform shark, Cretoxyrhina mantelli" (PDF). PalArch Foundation. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Shimada, Kenshu (1997). "Paleoecological relationships of the Late Cretaceous lamniform shark, Cretoxyrhina mantelli (Agassiz)". Journal of Paleontology. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Shimada, Kenshu, Hooks, G. E. (2004). "SHARK-BITTEN PROTOSTEGID TURTLES from the UPPER CRETACEOUS MOOREVILLE CHALK, ALABAMA". Journal of Paleontology. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
