Xiphactinus, sometimes known as the bulldog tarpon[2]/fish[3], is an extinct genus of lobe-finned fish that lived in North/South America, Australia and Europe during the Late Cretaceous.
History[]
Xiphactinus is the state fossil of Kansas[4].
Paleobiology[]
Xiphactinus mount at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Credit: Clumsystiggy on DeviantArt.
Among the many fossil remains attributed to Xiphactinus, "Fish-Within-A-Fish", discovered by George F. Sternberg of a 13 foot long Xiphactinus swallowing a 6-foot-long Gillicus is among the most popular. It is thought the animal choked-down the smaller fish. As the Gillicus thrashed in the animals throat, an organ ruptured. Both fish died, being rapidly covered in sediment. Another specimen preserves a Xiphactinus swimming with a mosasaur fin between its jaws. This means that Xiphactinus likely hunted anything small enough to fit down its throat. To further solidify this, most specimens show large undigested or partially undigested items in their stomachs. One fossil displayed at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, collected by Charles H. Sternberg, shows a half-dead, weak individual being scavenged by Squalicorax and Cretoxyrhina. The smallest specimen is a mandible, 12 inches (30 centimeters) long. Almost nothing is known about the juvenile stages. Xiphactinus is known from numerous specimens[4].
Notable Specimen[]
- "Pickles": A well-preserved Xiphactinus, including a head[5].
Gallery[]
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Prehistoric wiki provides an extensive gallery on Xiphactinus. Click expand to view all images. |
Reconstructions
Fossils
![Xiphactinus specimen at the Royal Ontario Museum. Credit: Clumsystiggy on DeviantArt.]]](/wiki/File:Rom_xiph.jpeg "Rom xiph.jpeg (300 KB)")
Credit: Clumsystiggy on DeviantArt.]]
References[]