Late Cretaceous Interaction Between Predators and Prey. Evidence of Feeding by Two Species of Shark on a Mosasaur
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Vertebral Morphology, Dentition, Age, Growth, and Ecology of the Large Lamniform Shark Cardabiodon Ricki
Vertebral morphology, dentition, age, growth, and ecology of the large lamniform shark Cardabiodon ricki MICHAEL G. NEWBREY, MIKAEL SIVERSSON, TODD D. COOK, ALLISON M. FOTHERINGHAM, and REBECCA L. SANCHEZ Newbrey, M.G., Siversson, M., Cook, T.D., Fotheringham, A.M., and Sanchez, R.L. 2015. Vertebral morphology, denti- tion, age, growth, and ecology of the large lamniform shark Cardabiodon ricki. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 (4): 877–897. Cardabiodon ricki and Cardabiodon venator were large lamniform sharks with a patchy but global distribution in the Cenomanian and Turonian. Their teeth are generally rare and skeletal elements are less common. The centra of Cardabiodon ricki can be distinguished from those of other lamniforms by their unique combination of characteristics: medium length, round articulating outline with a very thick corpus calcareum, a corpus calcareum with a laterally flat rim, robust radial lamellae, thick radial lamellae that occur in low density, concentric lamellae absent, small circular or subovate pores concentrated next to each corpus calcareum, and papillose circular ridges on the surface of the corpus calcareum. The large diameter and robustness of the centra of two examined specimens suggest that Cardabiodon was large, had a rigid vertebral column, and was a fast swimmer. The sectioned corpora calcarea show both individuals deposited 13 bands (assumed to represent annual increments) after the birth ring. The identification of the birth ring is supported in the holotype of Cardabiodon ricki as the back-calculated tooth size at age 0 is nearly equal to the size of the smallest known isolated tooth of this species. The birth ring size (5–6.6 mm radial distance [RD]) overlaps with that of Archaeolamna kopingensis (5.4 mm RD) and the range of variation of Cretoxyrhina mantelli (6–11.6 mm RD) from the Smoky Hill Chalk, Niobrara Formation. -
Papers in Press
Papers in Press “Papers in Press” includes peer-reviewed, accepted manuscripts of research articles, reviews, and short notes to be published in Paleontological Research. They have not yet been copy edited and/or formatted in the publication style of Paleontological Research. As soon as they are printed, they will be removed from this website. Please note they can be cited using the year of online publication and the DOI, as follows: Humblet, M. and Iryu, Y. 2014: Pleistocene coral assemblages on Irabu-jima, South Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Paleontological Research, doi: 10.2517/2014PR020. doi:10.2517/2018PR013 Features and paleoecological significance of the shark fauna from the Upper Cretaceous Hinoshima Formation, Himenoura Group, Southwest Japan Accepted Naoshi Kitamura 4-8-7 Motoyama, Chuo-ku Kumamoto, Kumamoto 860-0821, Japan (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract. The shark fauna of the Upper Cretaceous Hinoshima Formation (Santonian: 86.3–83.6 Ma) of the manuscriptHimenoura Group (Kamiamakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan) was investigated based on fossil shark teeth found at five localities: Himedo Park, Kugushima, Wadanohana, Higashiura, and Kotorigoe. A detailed geological survey and taxonomic analysis was undertaken, and the habitat, depositional environment, and associated mollusks of each locality were considered in the context of previous studies. Twenty-one species, 15 genera, 11 families, and 6 orders of fossil sharks are recognized from the localities. This assemblage is more diverse than has previously been reported for Japan, and Lamniformes and Hexanchiformes were abundant. Three categories of shark fauna are recognized: a coastal region (Himedo Park; probably a breeding site), the coast to the open sea (Kugushima and Wadanohana), and bottom-dwelling or near-seafloor fauna (Kugushima, Wadanohana, Higashiura, and Kotorigoe). -
OFR21 a Guide to Fossil Sharks, Skates, and Rays from The
STATE OF DELAWARE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE DELAWARE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN FILE REPORT No. 21 A GUIDE TO FOSSIL SHARKS J SKATES J AND RAYS FROM THE CHESAPEAKE ANU DELAWARE CANAL AREA) DELAWARE BY EDWARD M. LAUGINIGER AND EUGENE F. HARTSTEIN NEWARK) DELAWARE MAY 1983 Reprinted 6-95 FOREWORD The authors of this paper are serious avocational students of paleontology. We are pleased to present their work on vertebrate fossils found in Delaware, a subject that has not before been adequately investigated. Edward M. Lauginiger of Wilmington, Delaware teaches biology at Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill, Pennsyl vania. He is especially interested in fossils from the Cretaceous. Eugene F. Hartstein, also of Wilmington, is a chemical engineer with a particular interest in echinoderm and vertebrate fossils. Their combined efforts on this study total 13 years. They have pursued the subject in New Jersey, Maryland, and Texas as well as in Delaware. Both authors are members of the Mid-America Paleontology Society, the Delaware Valley Paleontology Society, and the Delaware Mineralogical Society. We believe that Messrs. Lauginiger and Hartstein have made a significant technical contribution that will be of interest to both professional and amateur paleontologists. Robert R. Jordan State Geologist A GUIDE TO FOSSIL SHARKS, SKATES, AND RAYS FROM THE CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE CANAL AREA, DELAWARE Edward M. Lauginiger and Eugene F. Hartstein INTRODUCTION In recent years there has been a renewed interest by both amateur and professional paleontologists in the rich upper Cretaceous exposures along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Delaware (Fig. 1). Large quantities of fossil material, mostly clams, oysters, and snails have been collected as a result of this activity. -
Short Communication a Remarkable Case of a Shark
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(2):592–597, March 2010 © 2010 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology SHORT COMMUNICATION A REMARKABLE CASE OF A SHARK-BITTEN ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ∗ KENSHU SHIMADA, ,1,2 TAKANOBU TSUIHIJI,3 TAMAKI SATO,4 and YOSHIKAZU HASEGAWA5; 1Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614, U.S.A., [email protected]; 2Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, Kansas 67601, U.S.A.; 3National Museum of Nature and Science, 3-23-1 Hyakuhin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan, [email protected]; 4Department of Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Tokyo Gakugei University, 4-1-1 Nukui-Kita-Machi, Koganei City, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan, [email protected]; 5Gunma Museum of Natural History, 1674-1 Kamikuroiwa, Tomimoka, Gunma 370-2345, Japan, [email protected] Futabasaurus suzukii Sato, Hasegawa, and Manabe, 2006, is an is embedded near the anterodorsal corner of the right humerus elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous in central immediately distal to its tuberosity (Fig. 3A). The labial face of Japan. The holotype and the only known specimen of this taxon Tooth 85 faces the posterior side of the right humerus, suggest- is a partial skeleton (Fig. 1), which co-occurred with “several tens ing that the shark bit the forelimb from its anterior side. Two of shark teeth” (Sato et al., 2006:468). The shark teeth were pre- teeth, Teeth 83 and 84, are embedded in the posterodorsal cor- viously identified as those of ‘Odontaspis sp.’ (e.g., Obata et al., ner of the neural spine of “Vertebra #34,” a posterior cervical 1970), but we re-identified them as an extinct lamniform shark, vertebra (Fig. -
Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations in the Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae)
Fort Hays State University FHSU Scholars Repository Sternberg Museum of Natural History Faculty Publications Sternberg Museum of Natural History 12-1-2011 Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations in the Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) Johan Lindgren Lunds Universitet Michael J. Everhart Fort Hays State University Michael W. Caldwell University of Alberta Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sternberg_facpubs Part of the Paleontology Commons Recommended Citation Lindgren, J., Everhart, M. J., & Caldwell, M. W. (2011). Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations in the Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae). PLOS ONE, 6(11), e27343. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027343 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Sternberg Museum of Natural History at FHSU Scholars Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sternberg Museum of Natural History Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of FHSU Scholars Repository. Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations in the Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) Johan Lindgren1*, Michael J. Everhart2, Michael W. Caldwell3 1 Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 2 Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, United States of America, 3 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and Department of Biological -
Mosasaurs Continuing from Last Time…
Pliosaurs and Mosasaurs Continuing From Last Time… • Pliosauridae: the big marine predators of the Jurassic Pliosauridae • Some of the largest marine predators of all time, these middle Jurassic sauropterygians include such giants as Kronosaurus, Liopleurodon, Macroplata, Peloneustes, Pliosaurus, and Brachauchenius Pliosaur Mophology • While the number of cervical vertebrae is less than in plesiosaurs, there is still variation: Macroplata (29) vs. Kronosaurus (13) Pliosaur Morphology • Larger pliosaurs adopted a more streamlined body shape, like modern whales, with a large skull and compact neck, and generally the hind limbs were larger than the front, while plesiosaurs had larger forelimbs Pliosaur Morphology • Powerful limb girdles and large (banana sized) conical teeth helped pliosaurs eat larger, quicker prey than the piscivorous plesiosaurs Liopleurodon • NOT 25 m long in general (average of 40 feet), though perhaps certain individuals could reach that size, making Liopleurodon ferox the largest carnivore to ever live • Recent skull studies indicate that Liopleurodon could sample water in stereo through nostrils, locating scents much as we locate sound Cretaceous Seas • Breakup of Gondwana causes large undersea mountain chains to form, raising sea levels everywhere • Shallow seas encourage growth of corals, which increases calcium abundance and chalk formation • Warm seas and a gentle thermal gradient yield a hospitable environment to rays, sharks, teleosts, and the first radiation of siliceous diatoms Kronosaurus • Early Cretaceous -
Dr. Kenshu Shimada: Peer-Reviewed Published Articles [Last Updated 04/26/2019]
Dr. Kenshu Shimada: Peer-Reviewed Published Articles [last updated 04/26/2019] [* = undergraduate student; ** = graduate student] 2019 [105] Shimada, K. In press. A new species and biology of the Late Cretaceous 'blunt-snouted' bony fish, Thryptodus (Actinopterygii: Tselfatiiformes), from the United States. Cretaceous Research. [104] Cronin, T. J.*, and K. Shimada . In press. New anatomical information on the Late Cretaceous bony fish, Micropycnodon kansasensis (Actinopterygii: Pycnodontiformes), from the Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas, U.S.A. Transactions of Kansas Academy of Science. [103] Pimiento, C., J. L. Cantalapiedra, K. Shimada , D. J. Field, and J. B. Smaers. 2019. Evolutionary pathways towards shark gigantism. Evolution, 73(3):588–599. 2018 [102] Johnson-Ransom, E. D.*, E. V. Popov, T. A. Deméré, and K. Shimada. 2018. The Late Cretaceous chimaeroid fish, Ischyodus bifurcatus Case (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali), from California, USA, and its paleobiogeographical significance. Paleontological Research, 2(4):364-372. [101] Guinot, G., S. Adnet, K. Shimada , C. J. Underwood, M. Siversson, D. J. Ward, J. Kriwet, and H. Cappetta. 2018. On the need of providing tooth morphology in descriptions of extant elasmobranch species. Zootaxa, 4461(1):118–126. [100] Jacobs, P. K.*, and K. Shimada . 2018. Ontogenetic growth pattern of the extant smalltooth sandtiger shark, Odontaspis ferox (Lamniformes: Odontaspididae)— application from and to paleontology. Journal of Fossil Research, 51(1):23–29. [99] Guzzo, F.*, and K. Shimada . 2018. A new fossil vertebrate locality of the Jetmore Chalk Member of the Upper Cretaceous Greenhorn Limestone in north-central Kansas, U.S.A. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, 121(1-2):59-68. -
Allometric Growth in the Skull of Tylosaurus Proriger (Squamata: Mosasauridae) and Its Taxonomic Implications Robert F
Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 6:75–90 75 ISSN 2292-1389 Allometric growth in the skull of Tylosaurus proriger (Squamata: Mosasauridae) and its taxonomic implications Robert F. Stewart1 and Jordan C. Mallon2,* 1Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 5B6; [email protected] 2Palaeobiology, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3223, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6P4; [email protected] Abstract: Ontogeny—the growth and development of an organism—is among the more poorly understood aspects of the life history of mosasaurs, largely owing to a dearth of fossil material from young individuals. We describe the par- tial and nearly complete skulls of two subadult individuals of the mosasaurid Tylosaurus proriger from the upper Smoky Hills Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation (upper Santonian) in Kansas. We include the more complete of the two specimens in an allometric analysis to better understand proportional changes in the skull through growth. Although our small sample size produces several instances of ‘soft isometry’, we recover the length of the edentulous rostrum as significantly negatively allometric, and quadrate height as significantly positively allometric. In light of our findings, we consider the question of whether T. kansasensis represents an immature ontogimorph of T. nepaeolicus, and find substan- tive evidence to reject this hypothesis. INTRODUCTION Seaway of North America (Williston 1898; Russell 1967; Everhart 2017). These are among the smallest skulls known Mosasauridae is a clade of carnivorous, mostly marine for the species, and they help to elucidate the allometric reptiles known from Upper Cretaceous deposits world- changes undergone by T. proriger through life. -
Cranial Anatomy of a Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from North-East Mexico
Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas,Cranial anatomy v. 24, núm.of a Maastrichtian 1, 2007, p. 89-103 mosasaur from north-east Mexico 89 Cranial anatomy of a Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from north-east Mexico Marie-Céline Buchy1,*, Eberhard Frey2, Wolfgang Stinnesbeck3, and José Guadalupe López-Oliva4 1 Universität Karlsruhe, Geologisches Institut, Postfach 6980, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Germany. Current address: Museo del Desierto, Apartado Postal 307, 25000 Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. 2 Geowissenschaftliche Abteilung, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Erbprinzenstrasse 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany. 3 Universität Karlsruhe, Geologisches Institut, Postfach 6980, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Germany. 4 Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra, Apartado Postal 104, 67700 Linares, N.L., Mexico. * [email protected] ABSTRACT We here describe the first mosasaur from Mexico known by significant cranial remains, from the late Early Maastrichtian Méndez Formation of Nuevo León, north-east Mexico. The specimen comprises a fragmentary skull and parts of the mandibles. Some anatomical features suggest a juvenile animal. The skull possesses a rostral tuberosity on the premaxilla, as well as a combination of features known from different mosasaur genera, like its frontopremaxillary suture situated caudal to the external naris, its prefrontal and postorbitofrontal being in contact lateral to the orbit, associated with the supra- and infrastapedial processes of its quadrate which almost contact one another. Despite being clearly distinct from any hitherto described mosasaur, the affinities of this specimen with other mosasaurs remain obscure, not only because of incompleteness, but also because of the poorly understood biological significance of the characters used for the classification of Mosasauridae. -
Caudal Fin Skeleton of the Late Cretaceous Lamniform Shark, Cretoxyrhina Mantelli, from the Niobrara Chalk of Kansas
Lucas, S. G. and Sullivan, R.M., eds., 2006, Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35. 185 CAUDAL FIN SKELETON OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS LAMNIFORM SHARK, CRETOXYRHINA MANTELLI, FROM THE NIOBRARA CHALK OF KANSAS KENSHU SHIMADA1, STEPHEN L. CUMBAA2, AND DEANNE VAN ROOYEN3 1Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614; and Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, Kansas 67601; 2Paleobiology, Canadian Museum of Nature, P.O. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada; 3Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 2240 Herzberg Laboratories, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada. Abstract—The caudal fin morphology of the Late Cretaceous lamniform shark, Cretoxyrhina mantelli (Agassiz), was previously inferred from scale morphology, which suggested that it was capable of fast swimming. A specimen from the Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas is described here and offers new insights into the morphology of the caudal fin of the taxon. The specimen preserves the posterior half of the vertebral column and a series of hypochordal rays. These skeletal elements exhibit features suggesting that C. mantelli had a lunate tail and a caudal peduncle with a lateral fluke. The specimen also supports the idea that the body form of C. mantelli resembled that of the extant white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linneaus). Given a total vertebral count in Cretoxyrhina mantelli of about 230, this specimen suggests that the transition between precaudal and caudal vertebrae was somewhere between the 140th and 160th vertebrae. -
Evidence for the Cretaceous Shark Cretoxyrhina Mantelli Feeding on the Pterosaur Pteranodon from the Niobrara Formation
Evidence for the Cretaceous shark Cretoxyrhina mantelli feeding on the pterosaur Pteranodon from the Niobrara Formation David W.E. Hone1, Mark P. Witton2 and Michael B. Habib3 1 School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom 2 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom 3 Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States of America ABSTRACT A cervical vertebra of the large, pelagic pterodactyloid pterosaur Pteranodon sp. from the Late Cretaceous Niobrara Formation of Kansas, USA is significant for its association with a tooth from the large lamniform shark, Cretoxyrhina mantelli. Though the tooth does not pierce the vertebral periosteum, the intimate association of the fossils—in which the tooth is wedged below the left prezygapophysis—suggests their preservation together was not mere chance, and the specimen is evidence of Cretoxyrhina biting Pteranodon. It is not possible to infer whether the bite reflects predatory or scavenging behaviour from the preserved material. There are several records of Pteranodon having been consumed by other fish, including other sharks (specifically, the anacoracid Squalicorax kaupi), and multiple records of Cretoxyrhina biting other vertebrates of the Western Interior Seaway, but until now interactions between Cretoxyrhina and Pteranodon have remained elusive. The specimen increases the known interactions between large, pelagic, vertebrate carnivores of the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous, in addition to bolstering the relatively small fossil record representing pterosaurian interactions with other species. Submitted 18 September 2018 Accepted 30 October 2018 Published 14 December 2018 Subjects Paleontology Keywords Pterosaur, Palaeoecology, Behaviour, Carnivore-consumed, Predation, Scavenging Corresponding author David W.E. -
A Mosasaur from the Lewis Shale
(1974)recently reported a number of ammo- nites and other invertebratesfrom the Lewis A mosasaurfrom the Lewis Shale Shale along the easternedge of the San Juan Basin. UNM-V-070 is southeastof their lo- (UpperGretaceous), northwestern cality D4l5l and northeastof their locality D5067. Both D4l5l and D5087 are strati- graphically higher in the Lewis Shale than NewMexico Uf.ftU-V-OZOand are placed by Cobban and History,Yale University' others (1974) in the Late Campanian Didy- by'NewHaven,CT,andPeterK.Reser,OiiartmentotAnthropology,University0fNewMexico,Albuquerque,NMSpencer G Lucas,Department of Geology and Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural mocerascheyennense ammonite zone. Prob- ably UNM-V-070 is Late Campanianin age (no older strata are known in the Lewis Shale) Mosasaursare an extinct group of giant The following abbreviationsare usedin the (Cobban and others, 1974)and older than the a marinelizards that flourishedduring the Late text: AMNH-Department of VertebratePa- D. cheyennense zone. Unfortunately, out- Cretaceous. Their fossilized remains are leontology, American Museum of Natural diligent searchof the limited Lewis Shale yielded un- known from all the continentsexcept Antarc- History, New York; UNM-Department of crops around UNM-V-070 only tica; the largestand best known collections Geology,University of New Mexico, Albu- diagnostic fragments of inoceramid shells; precisely come from the Niobrara Formation in Kan- querque;YPM-Peabody Museumof Natural hence,its age cannot be more deter- sas. Although marine sediments of Late History,Yale University, New Haven. mined. cretaceousage are exposedthroughout large areas of New Mexico, only three mosasaur LewisShale and its fauna specimenshave previously been reported from The Lewis Shale was named by Cross and the state.