By ThePhysicist
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One species I was hoping to find - a small Orectolobiform shark from the Hell Creek formation. It was named in 2019 for its teeth shaped like the spaceships in "Galaga." Amended from Gates 2019: “Orectolobiform shark possessing the following autapomorphies: central cusp with distinctly swollen lingual face forming a clearly demarcated constriction, or neck, between the cusp and the root; labial surface of central cusp ornamented with a raised ridge or closely arrayed plications, which in most cases are distributed in such a pattern as to follow the slope of the heels; convex heels, well developed both mesial and distal to the central cusp with a distinct convex angle mid-distance along slope seen in anterior teeth and some lateral teeth. This taxon is further differentiated by the following suite of shared characters: anterior teeth possess distinct, high central cusp; heels on lateral teeth slightly serrated; heels of anterior teeth and some lateral teeth do not slope gradually toward root lobes, but are instead squared-off or rounded at their terminus; one or two rounded diminutive cusplets may be present although this trait varies among individual teeth; apron is generally broadly rounded and shows a bifid habit on some but not all specimens; root lobes enlarged on [labial] side of tooth compared to more constricted structure on [lingual] side, bestowing an exaggerated heart-shape in basal view; a central foramen pierces between the root lobes with the foramen divided by thin struts in some teeth.”
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