Scapanorhynchus
| Scapanorhynchus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Complete fossil of Scapanorhynchus lewisii from Sahel Alma, Lebanon | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | Mitsukurinidae |
| Genus: | †Scapanorhynchus Woodward, 1889 |
| Type species | |
| Scapanorhynchus lewisii Davis, 1887
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| Species | |
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Scapanorhynchus ("spade snout") is an extinct genus of shark that lived from the early Cretaceous until possibly the Miocene if S. subulatus is a mitsukurinid and not a sand shark.[1][2] Their extreme similarities to the living goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, lead some experts[3][4] to consider reclassifying it as Scapanorhynchus owstoni. However, most shark specialists regard the goblin shark to be distinct enough from its prehistoric relatives to merit placement in its own genus.
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Scapanorhynchus had an elongated, albeit flattened snout and sharp awl-shaped teeth ideal for seizing fish, or tearing chunks of flesh from its prey. It was a small shark normally measuring about 65 cm, though the largest species, S. texanus, is thought to have reached up to 3 m (10 ft) in length, about the size of a modern goblin shark.[5][6] The largest teeth reported from this genus are anterior teeth from S. texanus, which can reach lengths up to 7 cm. [7][1]
References
- ^ a b Capetta, H., Chondrichthyes II, Mesozoic and Cenozoic Elasmobranchii, vol. 3B of Handbook of Paleoichthyology, Stuttgart, New York: Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1987.
- ^ Glickman, L. S., and A. O. Averianov. "Evolution of the Cretaceous Lamnoid sharks of the genus Eostriatolamia." PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL C/C OF PALEONTOLOGICHESKII ZHURNAL 32 (1998): 376-384. [1]
- ^ Mikko's Phylogeny Archive
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2010). "List of Nominal Species of Mitsukurinidae (Goblin shark)". FishBase. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 28. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ^ http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/evolution/evol_lamnoids.htm
- ^ Roemer, F. 1849. Texas: Mit besonderer Rucksicht auf deutsche Auswanderung und die physischen Verhaltinisse desLands. Mit einem naturwissenschaftlichen Anhange und einer topographisch-geognostischen Karte von Texas. XV 464p. Bonn
Further reading
- Case, G and Schwimmer, D., 1998. Late Cretaceous fish from the Blufftown Formation (Campanian) in Western Georgia. Journal of Paleontology., 62(2). pp 290–301.
- Kent, B., 1994. Fossil Sharks of the Chesapeake Region. Egan Rees & Boyer, Maryland. 146 pp
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