Abstract
A small (3.4 cm) coprolite from the Upper Cretaceous (middle Campanian age) Coachman Formation in South Carolina, contains six cervical vertebrae from a very small, freshwater, trionychid turtle. Four of the vertebrae included in the coprolite are aligned and partly articulated. The coprolite shows typical selachian heteropolar shape with traces of spiral morphology, and is attributed to one of several common lamniform shark taxa in the associated marine fauna, most probably Squalicorax kaupi. Based on the minute size of the included vertebrae, with the largest 4.5 mm long, the turtle must have been very small and likely newly hatched. Assuming the selachian producing the specimen was a marine or estuarine species, this coprolite specimen indicates that the shark was feeding in or proximal to a fluvial environment, as observed in modern species of Carcharhinus. Given the small size of the coprolite, the shark was likely also small, suggesting that a juvenile Late Cretaceous shark was feeding far upstream, perhaps near its pupping area.
Paper version not known (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
