Otodontidae
Extinct family of sharks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otodontidae is an extinct family of sharks belonging to the order Lamniformes. Its members have been described as megatoothed sharks.[1][2] They lived from the Early Cretaceous to the Pliocene, and included genera such as Otodus, including the giant megalodon.[3] Although traditionally classified under Carcharocles, studies of the genus Megalolamna indicate that the megatoothed sharks were likely members of Otodus.[4] The genus Cretalamna which lived from the mid-Cretaceous-Paleogene is believed to be directly ancestral to Otodus, and thus to megalodon.[5]
| Otodontidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Teeth and jaws of Cretalamna hattini | |
 | |
| Three otodontid species, from left to right there is Cretalamna, Otodus obliquus and Otodus megalodon | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | †Otodontidae Gluckman 1964 |
| Genera | |
|
Cretalamna | |
There are certain dubious species of Otodontidae included species where teeth are not properly described, such as Otodus debrayi, Otodus stromeri, Otodus rondelettiformis, and Otodus hastalis. These dubious species are considered to be synonymous or are pending reassesment of their validity.[6][7]
