Megascyliorhinus cooperi
Megascyliorhinus cooperi
Summary
Megascyliorhinus cooperi was an extinct catshark and part of the small-shark community living close to the early Eocene seafloor. Like modern catsharks, it was probably an opportunistic predator rather than a fast-ranging open-water hunter.
Its small pointed teeth were suited to seizing modest prey such as small fishes, crustaceans, worms and cephalopods. This type of feeding apparatus is effective for animals that search the seabed and take a wide variety of prey rather than specialising on one food source.
Most knowledge of the species comes from isolated teeth, leaving its body pattern and detailed behaviour unknown. Its fossils nevertheless help reveal the ecological depth of the London Clay shark fauna, in which small benthic predators were an important component alongside much larger sharks.
Quick Identification
Look for: a small but sturdy catshark tooth with a pointed central cusp, lateral cusplets and a broad root; use complete teeth because worn cusplets can make it resemble other London Clay scyliorhinids.
Diagnostic Features
- Principal cusp is relatively broad and robust for a small scyliorhinid.
- Lateral cusplets flank the main cusp on well-preserved teeth.
- Crown shows scyliorhinid-type basal ornament rather than being completely featureless.
- Root is broad and bilobed beneath the crown.
- Tooth proportions vary along the jaw, requiring comparison of equivalent tooth positions.
Fossil Details
Similar Species
Recorded Fossil Sites
London Clay Formation
References
- 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
- Ward, D.J. (1980). The distribution of sharks, rays and chimaeroids in the English Palaeogene. Tertiary Research, 3(1), 13–19 View reference