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Gigantic lamnoid shark vertebra from the Lower Cretaceous Kiowa Shale of Kansas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Kenshu Shimada
Kenshu Shimada*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago 60607
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Extract

Fossil sharks are represented primarily by isolated teeth. Teeth are usually used for classification of extinct sharks, but their vertebrae may provide interesting paleoecological and taphonomical information even if not in association with teeth (e.g., Lucas et al., 1985; Gottfried, 1995). In this paper, I describe an isolated centrum of a shark vertebra from the Lower Cretaceous Kiowa Shale in Kansas, housed in the University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History (KUVP), Lawrence. A precise taxonomic assignment for this Kiowa shark is difficult because of its isolated occurrence, lack of large comparative collections of fossil shark vertebrae found in association with teeth, and poorly known morphological variation of fossil shark vertebrae. However, the specimen is noteworthy, because it is the largest Mesozoic shark vertebra known to date.

Type
Paleontological Notes
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 71 , Issue 3 , May 1997 , pp. 522 - 524
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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