Saurodon

Name: Saurodon ‭(‬lizard tooth‭)‬.
Phonetic: Sore-o-don.
Named By: Hays‭ ‬-‭ ‬1829.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Actinopterygii,‭ ‬Osteoglossomorpha,‭ ‬Ichthyodectiformes,‭ ‬Ichthyodectidae.
Species: S.‭ ‬leanus‭ (‬type‭)‬,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬elongatus,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬intermedius,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬phlebotomus.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Large individuals up to‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Italy.‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬Alabama‭ ‬-‭ ‬Mooreville Chalk Formation,‭ ‬North Carolina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tar Heel Formation,‭ ‬Tennessee‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ripley Formation.
Time period: Coniacian to Santonian of the‭ ‬Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Many individuals.

       Saurodon is a genus of Carnivorous fish that swam in the world‭’‬s oceans during the Late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Saurodon had a long and slender body similar to the modern day barracuda.‭ ‬Also like a barracuda,‭ ‬the lower jaw of Saurodon projected in front of the upper,‭ ‬though in Saurodon this projection was far more extreme,‭ ‬and in some specimens this lower jaw is just beyond double the length of the upper jaw.‭ ‬This likely signifies a feeding specialisation that helped Saurodon to effectively hunt other fish,‭ ‬perhaps striking them from below and trying to swallow as much as they could to prevent their prey from escaping.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Les poissons Cretaces de Nardo.‭ ‬9.‭ ‬Note complementaire sur le Saurodontinae‭ (‬Teleostei,‭ ‬Ichthyodectiformes‭)‬:‭ ‬Saurodon elongatus,‭ ‬sp.‭ ‬nov.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Studi e Ricerche sui Giacimenti Terziari di Bolca‭ ‬8:105-116.‭ ‬-‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Taverne and P.‭ ‬Bronzi‭ ‬-‭ ‬1999.

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