SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) â The 300-million-year-old sharkâs teeth were the first sign that it might be a distinct species.
The ancient chompers looked less like the spear-like rows of teeth of related species. They were squatter and shorter, less than an inch long, around 2 centimeters.
âGreat for grasping and crushing prey rather than piercing prey,â said discoverer John-Paul Hodnett, who was a graduate student when he unearthed the first fossils of the shark at a dig east of Albuquerque in 2013.
This week, Hodnett and a slew of other researchers published their findings in a bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science identifying the shark as a separate species.
Researchers discovered a 300-million-year-old âGodzillaâ shark. Now it has a name.
With a dragon-like jawline and a 2.5-foot fin spines, this ancient water beast has a name to match its appearance.
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In this undated photo provided by John-Paul Hodnett is a single tooth on the lower jaw of a 300-million-year-old shark species named this week following a nearly complete skeleton of the species in 2013 in New Mexico. Discoverer Hodnett says it was the short, squat teeth that first alerted him to the possibility that the specimen initially dubbed Godzilla Shark could be a species distinct from it s ancient cousins, which have longer, more spear-like teeth. The image was taken using angled light techniques that reveal fossil features underneath sediment. [ JOHN-PAUL HODNETT | AP ]
‘Godzilla’ shark discovered in New Mexico gets a name
Updated 1:53 PM;
Today 1:53 PM
In this undated photo provided by John-Paul Hodnett is a single tooth on the lower jaw of a 300-million-year-old shark species named this week following a nearly complete skeleton of the species in 2013 in New Mexico. Discoverer Hodnett says it was the short, squat teeth that first alerted him to the possibility that the specimen initially dubbed Godzilla Shark could be a species distinct from it s ancient cousins, which have longer, more spear-like teeth. The image was taken using angled light techniques that reveal fossil features underneath sediment. (John-Paul Hodnett via AP)AP
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