Cretoxyrhina mantelli
Encyclopedia
Cretoxyrhina mantelli was a large shark
that lived during the Cretaceous period, about 100 to 82 million years ago. It is commonly known as the Ginsu Shark.
in 1843, as Cretoxyhrina mantelli. However, the most complete specimen of this shark was discovered in 1890, by a fossil hunter, Charles H. Sternberg. He published his findings of this specimen in 1907. This specimen comprising nearly complete associated vertebral column and over 250 associated teeth. Such kind of exceptional preservation of fossil sharks is rare because shark's skeleton is made of cartilage
, which is not prone to fossilization. Charles dubbed this specimen Oxyrhina mantelli. This specimen represented a 20 feet (6.1 m) shark. It was excavated from Hackberry creek, Gove county, Kansas.
In later years, several other specimens have also been found. One such specimen was discovered in 1891 by George Sternberg, and was stored in a Munich
museum. This specimen was also reported to be 20 feet long but was destroyed during a bombing raid on Munich in World War II
.
of C. mantelli are up to 7 cm long, curved, and smooth-edged, with a thick enamel coating.
The Ginsu shark had 34 teeth in its upper jaw and 36 teeth in lower jaw, in each row.
, Carcharodon carharias in size.
–Campanian
seas worldwide, including in the
Western Interior Seaway
of North America
.
, and protostegid turtles.
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
that lived during the Cretaceous period, about 100 to 82 million years ago. It is commonly known as the Ginsu Shark.
Known physiology
Identification and preserved specimens
This shark was first identified by a famous Swiss Naturalist, Louis AgassizLouis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
in 1843, as Cretoxyhrina mantelli. However, the most complete specimen of this shark was discovered in 1890, by a fossil hunter, Charles H. Sternberg. He published his findings of this specimen in 1907. This specimen comprising nearly complete associated vertebral column and over 250 associated teeth. Such kind of exceptional preservation of fossil sharks is rare because shark's skeleton is made of cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
, which is not prone to fossilization. Charles dubbed this specimen Oxyrhina mantelli. This specimen represented a 20 feet (6.1 m) shark. It was excavated from Hackberry creek, Gove county, Kansas.
In later years, several other specimens have also been found. One such specimen was discovered in 1891 by George Sternberg, and was stored in a Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
museum. This specimen was also reported to be 20 feet long but was destroyed during a bombing raid on Munich in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Common name
Cretoxyhrina mantelli had no common name in the early literature and over 30 synonyms were assigned to it. Since it fed by slicing its victims into bite-size pieces, paleontologists, K. Shimada and M. J. Everhart, gave it the name Ginsu Shark. The word Ginsu refers to slicing and dicing.Physical anatomy
The Ginsu shark is among the most well understood fossil sharks to date. Several preserved specimens have revealed a great deal of insight about the physical features and lifestyle of this ancient predatory shark.Dentition
The fossil teethShark tooth
A shark tooth is one of the numerous teeth of a shark. Sharks continually shed their teeth, and some Carcharhiniformes shed approximately 35,000 teeth in a lifetime. In some geological formations, shark's teeth are a common fossil...
of C. mantelli are up to 7 cm long, curved, and smooth-edged, with a thick enamel coating.
The Ginsu shark had 34 teeth in its upper jaw and 36 teeth in lower jaw, in each row.
Size
C. mantelli grew up to 7 metres (23 ft) long and rivaled the extant great white sharkGreat white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
, Carcharodon carharias in size.
Physical appearance
The specimen from Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas supports the idea that the body form of C. mantelli resembled that of the existing great white shark. The caudal fin morphology of the Ginsu shark indicates that it was an active shark, capable of fast swimming.Range
This shark lived in CenomanianCenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
–Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
seas worldwide, including in the
Western Interior Seaway
Western Interior Seaway
The Western Interior Seaway, also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, and the North American Inland Sea, was a huge inland sea that split the continent of North America into two halves, Laramidia and Appalachia, during most of the mid- and late-Cretaceous Period...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Dietary preferences
The Ginsu shark was the largest shark in its time and was among the chief predators of the seas. Fossil records revealed that it preyed upon a variety of marine animals such as, Mosasaurs, Plesiosaurs, XiphactinusXiphactinus
Xiphactinus was a large, 4.5 to 6 m long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous. When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged tarpon...
, and protostegid turtles.