How big is Xiphactinus?
A 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) Xiphactinus could open its jaw wide enough to swallow six-foot-long (two-meter-long) fish whole, but it itself was occasionally prey to the shark Cretoxyrhina.
Where did the Xiphactinus live?
Xiphactinus audax (from Latin and Greek for “sword-ray”) was a large, 4.5 to 5 m (15 to 20 feet) long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous.
Who discovered Xiphactinus?
George F. Sternberg
LEFT: Xiphactinus as the last meal of a large shark – KUVP 247 in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. George F. Sternberg discovered the remains of a large Cretoxyrhina mantelli (Ginsu shark) in Trego County that contained the scattered bones of a large Xiphactinus as its last meal.
Where was fish within a fish found?
Hays, Kansas
One of the most famous fossils of Xiphactinus is the “fish within a fish” fossil located at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas.
Is Xiphactinus a shark?
A teleost, bony fish, Xiphactinus was not a close relative of the sharks, though its name, translated from Latin, means “Swift shark”.
When was Xiphactinus alive?
87-65 million years ago
Lived: Late Cretaceous, 87-65 million years ago.
Why did Xiphactinus go extinct?
The most famous of these is at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays Kansas. A thirteen foot long Xiphactinus has a completely preserved, six foot long Gillicus arctuatis in its stomach. It is likely that Xiphactinous died shortly after ingesting such large prey.
Is a Xiphactinus a real fish?
Xiphactinus (from Latin and Greek for “sword-ray”) is an extinct genus of large (5.1 metres (16.7 ft)) predatory marine bony fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Albian to Maastrichtian). When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged tarpon (to which it was, however, not related).
Is this skull a new species of Xiphactinus?
An incomplete skull of what may be a new species of Xiphactinus was found in 2002 in the Czech Republic, in a small town called Šachov next to Borohrádek city, by then 16-year-old student Michal Matějka.
What is a Xiphactinus?
Xiphactinus (from Latin and Greek for ” sword -ray”) is an extinct genus of large (5.1 metres (16.7 ft)) predatory marine bony fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous ( Albian to Maastrichtian ). When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged tarpon (to which it was, however, not related).
Where was the bones of the Xiphactinus found?
In July 2010 the bones of a Xiphactinus were discovered near Morden, Manitoba, Canada. The specimen was about 18–20 feet (5.5–6.1 m) long and was found with the flipper of a mosasaur between its jaws.
How did Xiphactinus die?
Scientists believe it was still in its stomach because Xiphactinus must have died shortly after swallowing it. This lead to speculation by paleontologists that this fish was swallowed whole and while it was still alive and its thrashing punctured a hole in Xiphactinus’ stomach – thereby causing its inevitable demise.