Ptychodus
Extinct genus of sharks / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ptychodus (from Greek: πτυχή ptyche 'fold' and Greek: ὀδούς odoús 'tooth')[1] is a genus of extinct large durophagous (shell-crushing) lamniform sharks from the Cretaceous period, spanning from the Albian to the Campanian.[2] Fossils of Ptychodus teeth are found in many Late Cretaceous marine sediments worldwide.[3]
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Ptychodus | |
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Complete specimen of Ptychodus sp. (MMSP CPC 3064) from Agua Nueva Formation | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Family: | †Ptychodontidae Jaekel, 1898 |
Genus: | †Ptychodus Agassiz, 1835 |
Type species | |
Ptychodus latissimus Agassiz, 1835 | |
Other species | |
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At least 16 species are considered valid, with the largest members of the genus suggested to have grown up to 10 meters (33 feet) long.[2] The youngest remains date to around 85 million years ago. A large number of remains have been found in the former Western Interior Seaway.[4]