Otodus chubutensis

Otodus chubutensis
Temporal range: Early Oligocene-Early Pliocene
~28–5.3 Ma
Partially preserved O. chubutensis broken tooth with a slant height of 129 mm (5.1 in)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Lamniformes
Family: †Otodontidae
Genus: †Otodus
Species:
†O. chubutensis
Binomial name
†Otodus chubutensis
Ameghino, 1901
Synonyms
  • Carcharodon mexicanus
  • Carcharocles chubutensis
  • Carcharodon chubutensis
  • Carcharodon productus
  • Megaselachus chubutensis Glikman, 1964
  • Otodus subauriculatus
  • Carcharodon subauriculatus Agassiz, 1843
  • Carcharodon megalodon chubutensis
  • Carcharodon megalodon indica

Otodus chubutensis,[1] meaning "ear-shaped tooth of Chubut", from Ancient Greek ὠτ (ōt, meaning "ear") and ὀδούς (odoús, meaning "tooth") – thus, "ear-shaped tooth", is an extinct species of prehistoric megatoothed sharks in the genus Otodus, that lived during Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene, in ~28–5.3 milions years ago.[2] The largest individuals were about 13.5 metres (44 ft) long. This shark is considered a close relative of the famous prehistoric megatoothed shark O. megalodon.[3] However, as is the case with O. megalodon, the classification of this species is disputed.

  1. ^ Shimada, K.; Chandler, R. E.; Lam, O. L. T.; Tanaka, T.; Ward, D. J. (2016). "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. 29 (5): 1–11. doi:10.1080/08912963.2016.1236795. S2CID 89080495.
  2. ^ Maisch IV, Harry M.; Becker, Martin A.; Chamberlain Jr., John A. (2020). "Macroborings in Otodus megalodon and Otodus chubutensis shark teeth from the submerged shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, USA: implications for processes of lag deposit formation". Ichnos. 27 (2): 122–141. Bibcode:2020Ichno..27..122M. doi:10.1080/10420940.2019.1697257.
  3. ^ Renz, Mark (2002). Megalodon: Hunting the Hunter. PaleoPress. pp. 26–30. ISBN 0-9719477-0-8.