Triakis wardi
Triakis wardi
Summary
Triakis wardi was a hound shark and part of the diverse carcharhiniform fauna of the early Eocene. Like living Triakis and other triakids, it was probably an active shelf predator that moved between the seabed and lower water column in search of manageable prey.
Its low asymmetrical teeth formed a cutting and gripping edge suited to a varied diet rather than a single specialised food source. Small fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates are all plausible prey.
The species is known mainly from isolated teeth, so its exact body size and behaviour cannot be reconstructed. It nevertheless records the presence of versatile, relatively small predatory sharks within the London Clay ecosystem alongside much larger and more specialised hunters.
Quick Identification
Look for: a low, asymmetrical hound-shark tooth with an oblique central cusp, an extended distal shoulder or heel and a broad low root; compare complete teeth against Galeorhinus and Pachygaleus.
Diagnostic Features
- Principal cusp is low and inclined distally.
- Distal crown shoulder is elongated and contributes to the cutting edge.
- Crown is distinctly asymmetrical in lateral tooth positions.
- Root is broad and low with paired lobes.
- Combination of cusp angle and heel proportions separates the morphotype from other London Clay triakids.
Fossil Details
Similar Species
Recorded Fossil Sites
London Clay Formation
References
- Cappetta, H. (1976). Sélaciens nouveaux du London Clay de l’Essex (Yprésien du Bassin de Londres). Geobios, 9(5), 551–575 View reference
- Rayner, D.; Mitchell, T.; Rayner, M. (2009). London Clay Fossils of Kent and Essex. 228 pp.. Medway Fossil and Mineral Society, Rochester, Kent View reference