Contemporary organisms of the dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight - Cretaceous Sharks of the Isle of Wight

Cretaceous Sharks of the Isle of Wight

Hybodus Agassiz 1837

Meaning

Humped Tooth

Classification

Elasmobranchi
Hybodontidae Owen 1846

Hybodus basanus Egerton, 1845

Stratigraphy

Wessex and Vectis Formations

Lifestyle

This shark would have eaten fish and scavenged floating carcasses.

Description

Hybodus is known from teeth and fin spines. The teeth are high with a slender cusp and a circular cross-section. The spines are quite long, with longitudinal striations and two rose of triangular denticles along the posterior length. The morphology of Hybodus teeth varies between species, so may be more of a morphotype than an actual genus

Hylaeobatis Woodward, 1916

Meaning

Wood stream

Classification

Chondrichthyes
Myliobatidae Bonaparte 1838

Hylaeobatis problematica Woodward, 1916

Stratigraphy

Wessex Formation

Lifestyle

This shark would have eaten molluscs, using it’s crushing teeth to crush the shells.

Description

Lonchidion Estes, 1964

Meaning

Wood stream

Classification

Elasmobranchi
Lonchidiidae, Herman 1977

Lonchiodion sp.

Stratigraphy

Vectis Formation

Lifestyle

This shark would have eaten fish, floating material and anything small enough for it to kill.

Description

Teeth gracile, narrow labiolingually; main cusp low, but marked, with up to two pairs of cusplets; labial protuberance narrow, often parallel sided, strongly developed; distal parts of crown pointed, often forming most distalpair of lateral cusplets; root generally wider than lowermost part of crown; labial faceof root strongly concave; small circular foramina irregularly placed close to crown-rootjunction; cephalic spines basal plate with strong ‘convict arrow-shape

Palaeoscyllium Wagner, 1857, non Marck, 1863

Meaning

Ancient houndshark

Classification

Elasmobranchii
Orectolobiformes Applegate 1972

Palaeoscyllium aff. formosum Wagner, 1857

Stratigraphy

Wessex Formation

Lifestyle

This shark would have eaten fish, floating material and anything small enough for it to kill. Unusually for this genus, it lived in non-marine waters, with low salinities.

Description

Small teeth showing moderate heterodonty. Single main cusp is moderately high and erect or slightly angled to posterior. Little or no crown shoulder at base of cusp and lateral cusplets absent or incipient. Labial face flat and unornamented in anterior teeth, with short and strong vertical ridges in lateral teeth, never extending onto main cusp. Hemiaulacorhize root low and V-shaped, with root lobes forming an angle of 60-90 degrees. root lobes parallel sided and basal face of root largely flat. Small foramina are very well developed at junction of root lobes; foramina also present along linguo-lateral side of root. Lingual extremity of root sharply angled and with large foramina.

Vectiselachos Reese and Underwood, 2002

Meaning

Vectis shark

Classification

Elasmobranchi
Lonchidiidae, Herman 1977

Vectiselachos ornatus Woodward, 1916

Stratigraphy

Wessex Formation

Lifestyle

This shark would have eaten molluscs, using it’s crushing teeth to crush the shells.

Description

Lonchidiid with pronounced crushing-type dentition; anterior teeth bulky with well demarcated cusp and labial protuberance, weakly ornamented, primarily with striations and rarely with granulae; lateral teeth lower, more heavily ornamented, always with granulae; labial protuberance in laterals poorly developed or absent; root markedly smaller than crown and comparably thin.