Otodus Fascinating Facts and Figures

Name: Otodus (Greek for inclined teeth); pronounced OH-toe-dussHabitat: Oceans worldwideHistorical Epoch: Paleocene-Eocene (60-45 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and 1-2 tonsDiet: Marine animalsDistinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long, sharp, triangular teeth About Otodus Since the skeletons of sharks are composed of biodegradable cartilage rather than longer-lasting bone, often times the only fossil evidence of prehistoric species consists of teeth (sharks grow and shed thousands of teeth during their lifetimes, which is why theyre so abundant in the fossil record). Thats the case with the early Cenozoic Otodus, whose huge (three or four inches long), sharp, triangular teeth point to a full-grown adult size of up to 30 feet, though we know frustratingly little else about this prehistoric shark, other than that it likely fed on prehistoric whales, other, smaller sharks, and the abundant prehistoric fish that lived in the worlds oceans 50 million years ago. Its fossilized teeth aside, Ototodus greatest claim to fame is that it seems to have been directly ancestral to Megalodon, the 50-foot-long, 50-ton predatory behemoth that ruled the worlds oceans right until the cusp of the modern era. (This is not to diminish Otodus own place in the record books; this prehistoric shark was at least one and one-half times as big as the biggest Great White Sharks alive today.) Paleontologists have established this evolutionary link by examining the similarities between these two sharks teeth; specifically, the teeth of Otodus show early hints of the flesh-ripping serrations that would later characterize the teeth of Megalodon.