Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hello Folks, I've been looking for resources or information concerning the origins of the Otodus genus ? Everywhere I look folks are obsessed with how it spawned the Carcharocles genus, but what were its ancestors ? I'm aware of Cretolamna and it's possible connection .. but there is debate about how it might be connected to the Great White. Is there a location where that evolutionary timeline is laid out more in depth ? It's mostly just out of curiosity, I like to have some historical context so to speak for the teeth that I find and I'm possibly just not looking in the right spots online. Book recommendations would be cool as well. Thanks in advance as always. Cheers, Brett 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramon Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Agreed, Cretolamna looks exactly like Otodus. It's possible that otodus evolved from it. "Without fossils, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the earth" - Georges Cuvier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I got no idea. Looking forward to what the others have to say. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Elasmo.com is a very good resource for everything to do with fossil sharks. Its a good starting point to head off into the wilds of peer-reviewed scientific literature. There is a discussion on the evolution of mega sharks and it is suggested that Cretalamna evolved into Otodus: http://www.elasmo.com/frameMe.html?file=home.html&menu=bin/menu_home-alt.html "An alternate opinion views these megatoothed sharks as a single taxa, evolving through time. In this scenario, the currently recognized species are deemed morphospecies or chronospecies, wherein temporal snapshots (the fossil record) of various fauna suggest the presence of multiple species. Following this logic, the basal Cenozoic tooth morphology would be represented by Otodus appendiculata (AGASSIZ, 1843) (see: Cretalamna appendiculata) which transitions into O. obliquus during the Late Paleocene, and Carcharocles auriculatus (BLAINVILLE, 1818) in the Middle Ypresian. The chronospecies arguments (unpublished) are very strong and may become more relevant in the future." From Elasmobranch.com, accessed January 6th 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 The use of the term Otodus appendiculata here may confuse some, but this just indicates that one genus evolved through time and it is only the species that changes. It is called Cretalamna appendiculata, but if an evolutionary link could be established then there is good reason to use the same genus and call it Otodus appendiculata. The name in the brackets (AGASSIZ, 1843) is known as the authority or the person who named and described the species. Naming is based on systematics (evolutionary links) and priority. The first name is kept in priority of later names - all other things being equal. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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