Megalolamna

Meg-ah-lam-nah.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Megalolamna ‭(‬big Lamna‭)‬.

Phonetic

Meg-ah-lam-nah.

Named By

K.‭ ‬Shimada,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Chandler,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Lam,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Tanaka‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Ward‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Chondrichthyes,‭ ‬Elasmobranchii,‭ ‬Lamniformes,‭ ‬Otodontidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬paradoxodon‭

Size

Teeth up to‭ ‬5‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Detailed study of the teeth has led to size estimations of about‭ ‬4‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Japan.‭ ‬Peru.‭ ‬USA.

Time Period

Miocene.

Fossil representation

Teeth.

In Depth

       Megalolamna is a genus of shark that lived during the Miocene period.‭ ‬So far only teeth of this shark have been found,‭ ‬but these are known from as far apart as Japan to Peru and even the states of California and North Carolina in the USA.‭ ‬These locations tell us that Megalolamna was not only active in the Pacific Ocean,‭ ‬but also frequented the Atlantic as well.‭ ‬This makes even more sense when you realise that during the Miocene,‭ ‬there was actually a seaway that separated the continents of North and South America,‭ ‬allowing a convenient passage for marine animals travelling between the two oceans.‭

       Study of the teeth and reconstructions of the jaw indicate that Megalolamna could realistically grow to lengths of about four meters.‭ ‬By comparison the largest predatory shark alive today,‭ ‬the famous great white‭ (‬Carcharodon carcharias‭)‬,‭ ‬is known to often exceed six meters in length.‭ ‬With that said a large Megalolamna would still be big enough to be dangerous to a person swimming,‭ ‬though Megalolamna would have been a metaphorical minnow when compared to the truly giant sharks of the Miocene such as the infamous C.‭ ‬megalodon.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new elusive otodontid shark‭ (‬Lamniformes:‭ ‬Otodontidae‭) ‬from the lower Miocene,‭ ‬and comments on the taxonomy of otodontid genera,‭ ‬including the‭ ‘‬megatoothed‭’ ‬clade.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Historical Biology:‭ ‬1‭–‬11.‭ ‬-‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Shimada,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Chandler,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Lam,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Tanaka‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Ward‭ ‬-‭ ‬2016.

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