Palaeorhincodon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Palaeorhincodon Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Orectolobiformes |
| Family: | Rhincodontidae |
| Genus: | †Palaeorhincodon Herman, 1974 |
| Type species | |
| †Palaeorhincodon wardi Herman, 1974 | |
| Other species | |
| |
Palaeorhincodon is an extinct genus of prehistoric whale shark from the Early Paleocene and Late Eocene periods. It had a similar distribution range to that of modern whale sharks, with teeth from Palaeorhincodon being found in warm water areas such as North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.[1] Some fossil teeth of Palaeorhincodon was found in possible Late Jurassic deposits. Its teeth are very small, being only 3 millimeters in height. There are up to 300 files of teeth in each jaw of Palaeorhincodon.[2]