By CEDAR ATTANASIO
Associated Press / Report for America Apr 16, 2021
1 hr ago
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) The 300-million-year-old shark’s 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.
“Great for grasping and crushing prey rather than piercing prey,” 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.
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Godzilla shark discovered in New Mexico gets formal name
CEDAR ATTANASIO, Associated Press / Report for America
April 16, 2021
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In this undated photo provided by John-Paul Hodnett are a row of teeth 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)John-Paul Hodnett/AP
Paleontologists say they have given a more formal name to the ancient shark fossil dubbed “Godzilla Shark” after it was discovered in New Mexico in 2013
Godzilla shark discovered in New Mexico gets formal name apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.