Description

About Galeocerdo aduncus Ancient Tiger Shark

Physical Description

Galeocerdo aduncus would have looked very similar to the current tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier, and highly likely to have the tiger stripes on its back. The teeth of a tiger shark are very unique and thus easy to identify. They have serrated curved teeth made for shredding flesh of the prey. Depending on the location and minerals present during the fossilization, these teeth can be found in a wide array of colours. The teeth found in Belgium tend to be blueish, greyish or brownish in colour. The size of teeth can also vary and gives an idea of the size of the animal.

Age and Distribution

Galeocerdo aduncus is from the Pliocene of Belgium. This shark lived approximately 5,3-2,6 million years ago. Like its successor it lived in warm to tropical waters.

G. aduncus co-inhabited the sea with other sharks like the monster shark Megalodon: (Otodus megalodon), Megamouth shark (Megachasma cf pelagios), Sleeper shark aka Greenland shark: (Somniosus microcephalus), Basking shark: (Cetorhinus maximus) and many more sharks. Besides sharks other animals swam in these waters like: bony fish, rays, birds and marine mammals like toothed whales, dolphins and seals.

About the Carcharhiniformes Galeocerdo aduncus Ancient Tiger Shark

Evolutionary Significance

G. aduncus is an extinct tiger shark and ancestor of the extant tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier. The Carcharhiniformes are the largest order of extant sharks with over 270 species. With the oldest known fossils dating back from the Lower Cretaceous.

Taxonomy

Galeocerdo aduncus belongs to the Carcharhinidae which is a subclass of the Carcharhiniformes. They’re more commonly known as the requiem sharks. A few other members of the Carcharhiniformes from this time period are: Physogaleus contortus, Carcharhinus priscus and Hemipristis serra. There is one other tiger shark know from this peiod and that was the Galeocerdo latidens.