Megachasma applegatei explained

Megachasma applegatei is an extinct species of megamouth shark from the Oligocene to early Miocene (28-23 Mya) of the Western United States.^{[1] [2]} The type fossil was discovered in the San Joaquin Valley in 1973, but only described in 2014, when the species was named after its discoverer, Shelton Applegate.^[3]

Description

Megachasma applegatei is only known from isolated teeth. Based on comparison with the teeth of the recent species (Megachasma pelagios), it was approximately 6 m long and, like modern megamouth sharks, probably fed on fish and small planktonic invertebrates both in deep and shallow water habitats. Its teeth had shorter crowns and a pair of side cusplets.^[4] The teeth were also more variable in shape than the modern megamouth's, and may have been arranged in the distinctive heterodont "lamnoid tooth pattern" seen in predatory lamniform sharks.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: †family Megachasmidae (mackerel shark) . PBDB.
2. Web site: Megachasma applegatei SHIMADA, WELTON & LONG, 2014 . Shark reference.com.
3. Web site: A Forgotten Fossil Megamouth Gets a Name . https://web.archive.org/web/20190514182338/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2014/03/12/a-forgotten-fossil-megamouth-gets-a-name/ . dead . May 14, 2019 . National Geographic.
4. Shimada. K.. Welton. B. J.. Long. D. J.. 2014. A new fossil megamouth shark (Lamniformes, Megachasmidae) from the Oligocene-Miocene of the western United States. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34. 2. 281–290. 10.1080/02724634.2013.803975. 2014JVPal..34..281S . 83949683 .
5. Krak . Alexandra M. . Shimada . Kenshu . 2023 . The dentition of the extinct megamouth shark, Megachasma applegatei (Lamniformes: Megachasmidae), from southern California, USA, based on geometric morphometrics . PaleoBios . en . 40 . 1 . 10.5070/P940160139 . 0031-0298. free .