Cretodus houghtonorum lived during the Late Cretaceous period, a time when a huge waterway divided North America.
, of which there were four known species. The newly discovered predator has been named"This new shark differs from all other known species in the genus by having a distinct array of teeth that are uniquely shaped," Everhart said in a statement."Our analysis showed that the teeth of this shark are measurably different from any other known species of Cretodus and that justified the naming of the new species.
C. houghtonorum was a large species, Shimada and Everhart say, with the individual found estimated to be almost 17-foot long. However, their analysis also showed the species likely grew up to 22.4 feet. Their specimen died when it was about 22 years old, but they believe the species could live to 51.
The scientists said newborn sharks belonging to this species would be about 3.8 feet, and that this"large size at birth" suggests that—like many shark species living today—embryos would cannibalize their siblings while in the womb. This, the researchers say, shows the behavior had evolved by the Late Cretaceous.. Both of these were smaller species of shark, with the latter reaching about 6.5 feet in length on average.
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