Scapanorhynchus
Scapanorhynchus (from Greek: σκάφιου scaphion, 'shovel' and Greek: ῥύγχος rhynchos 'snout')[1] 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.[2][3] Their extreme similarities to the living goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, lead some experts[4][5] 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 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Complete fossil of Scapanorhynchus lewisii from Sahel Alma, Lebanon | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Superorder: | Selachimorpha |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | Mitsukurinidae |
| Genus: | †Scapanorhynchus Woodward, 1889 |
| Type species | |
| Scapanorhynchus lewisii Davis, 1887 | |
| Species | |
| |
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.[6][7] The largest teeth reported from this genus are anterior teeth from S. texanus, which can reach lengths up to 7 cm. [8][2]
References
- Lineaweaver, Thomas H. (1973). The natural history of sharks. Garden City, N.Y. : Anchor Natural History Books. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-385-02539-3.
- 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.
- 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.
- "Evolution of Lamnoid Sharks".
- 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