Otodontidae | |
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Teeth and jaws of Cretalamna hattini | |
Three otodontid species, from left to right there is Cretalamna, Otodus obliquus and Otodus megalodon | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Superfamily: | Lamnoidea |
Family: | †Otodontidae Gluckman 1964 |
Genera | |
Cretalamna |
Otodontidae is an extinct family of sharks belonging to the order Lamniformes. Its members have been described as megatoothed sharks.[1][2] They lived from the Early Cretaceous to the Pliocene, and included genera such as Otodus, including the giant megalodon.[3] Recent studies of the newly described genus Megalolamna indicate that the members of the genus Carcharocles should be reclassified as members of the genus Otodus.[4] The genus Cretalamna which lived from the mid-Cretaceous-Paleogene is believed to be directly ancestral to Otodus, and thus to megalodon.[5]
There are certain dubious species of Otodontidae inclued species where teeth are not properly described, such as Otodus debrayi, Otodus stromeri, Otodus rondelettiformis, and Otodus hastalis (doubtful O. hastalis). These dubious species are considered to be synonymus or are pending reassesment of their validity.[6][7]