Scapanorhynchus texanus, Menuha Formation (Upper Cretaceous), southern Israel.Near-complete fossil of S. lewisii, under special lighting
Scapanorhynchus (from Greek: σκάφιουscaphion, 'shovel' and Greek: ῥύγχοςrhynchos 'snout')[3] is an extinct genus of goblin shark that lived during the Cretaceous period, from the Aptian to the end of the Maastrichtian.[1][2] Later records, such as those from the Miocene assigned to the species S. subulatus, are highly dubious and may be misidentified sand sharks.[2][4][5]
It was the first goblin shark to be described, with the type species (S. lewisii) being described nearly 10 years before the living goblin shark (Mitsukurina).
Description
Scapanorhynchus had an elongated, albeit flattened snout and sharp awl-shaped teeth ideal for seizing fish, or tearing chunks of flesh from its prey. Scapanorhynchus normally did not exceed total length 4.15 metres (13.6 ft), although largest teeth with height about 6 centimetres (0.20 ft) indicates upper total length of 6.7 metres (22 ft).[6]
Their extreme similarities to the living goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, lead some experts[7][8] 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.
Ecology
Unlike modern goblin sharks, which inhabit deep ocean waters and are sluggish opportunistic feeders that feed on benthic fish and invertebrates, Scapanorhynchus appears to have been a pelagicapex predator that inhabited the epipelagic zone or continental shelf.[2] An isotopic analysis of its teeth suggests that it largely preyed on fish and occupied a high trophic level in its ecosystem. It appears to have occupied a similar trophic level to Squalicorax, another marine lamniform of the same habitat.[9] Its active predatory lifestyle may have made it more susceptible to the ecological impacts of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, as with other sharks that had a similar lifestyle.[2]
Species of Scapanorhynchus may have occupied different habitats, with some like S. texanus inhabiting shallow marine environments like the Western Interior Seaway, while others like S. raphiodon may have inhabited deep marine environments, although it is also known from shallower environments.[10][11]Scapanorhynchus has been found in shallow water rock deposits, such as those in Hell Creek, which appear to represent at least shoreline to brackish water conditions, and possibly even freshwater environments.[12]
^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]
^"Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, Stumpf site, Morton County, North Dakota". Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Sciences. 48. 1994.
Further reading
Fossil specimen of S. lewisii from Lebanon, showing the protruded mouth
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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