Hemipristis serra

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Hemipristis serra
Temporal range: Miocene
Hemipristis serra teeth.jpg
Tooth series of Hemipristis serra
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Division: Selachii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Hemigaleidae
Genus: Hemipristis
Species:
H. serra
Binomial name
Hemipristis serra
(Agassiz, 1843)
Fossil tooth of Hemipristis serra Hemipristis serra.jpg
Fossil tooth of Hemipristis serra
Several Hemipristis serra teeth from two different locations in the U.S., housed in a large ryker display. Hemipristis serra snaggettoth shark teeth 007.jpg
Several Hemipristis serra teeth from two different locations in the U.S., housed in a large ryker display.

Hemipristis serra is an extinct species of weasel shark which existed during the Miocene epoch. It was described by Louis Agassiz in 1843. [1] While today's snaggletooth shark is not very large or dangerous, Hemipristis serra, which lived in the Atlantic Ocean during the Oligocene and Miocene, was considerably larger than its modern-day relative and had much larger teeth. Its total length is estimated to be 6 metres (20 ft). [2] Marks made by the teeth of H. serra are often found on the bones of the dugong Metaxytherium leading some scientists to hypothesize that H. serra specialized in preying on these sirenians.[ citation needed ] In the Gatun Formation of Panama, H. serra was contemporary with pups of the large lamniform shark Otodus megalodon , and both it and the great hammerhead are theorized to have preyed on the pups of this larger shark due to their presence within the formation. [3]

The unusual teeth of Hemipristis serra are highly prized by collectors because they are often found in sediments in Southern Florida that yield extremely colorful fossil shark teeth. [4] [5] Their outstandingly large serrations make it a favorite and unique collectible fossil. Little else is known about the general appearance of H. serra, as there are no known fossils preserving its cartilaginous skeleton at present.

References

  1. Miocene, Volume 2, Part 1 Miocene, Maryland Geological Survey. Johns Hopkins Press, 1904.
  2. Pimiento, Catalina; Cantalapiedra, Juan L.; Shimada, Kenshu; Field, Daniel J.; Smaers, Jeroen B. (2019). "Evolutionary pathways toward gigantism in sharks and rays" . Evolution. 73 (3): 588–599. doi:10.1111/evo.13680. ISSN   1558-5646. PMID   30675721. S2CID   59224442.
  3. Pimiento, Catalina; Ehret, Dana J.; MacFadden, Bruce J.; Hubbell, Gordon (2010). "Ancient Nursery Area for the Extinct Giant Shark Megalodon from the Miocene of Panama". PLOS ONE. 5 (5): e10552. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...510552P. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010552 . PMC   2866656 . PMID   20479893.
  4. Heim, Bill; Bourdon, Jim (1997). "Hemipristis serra (AGASSIZ, 1844): Extinct Snaggletooth shark". www.elasmo.com. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  5. Scudder, Sylvia J.; Simons, Erika H.; Morgan, Gary S. (1995-03-14). "Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes from the early Pleistocene Leisey Shell Pit local fauna, Hillsborough County, Florida". Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. 37 (8): 251–272. doi:10.58782/flmnh.mrkd8061. ISSN   0071-6154.