Carcharodon hastalis

{{Short description|Extinct species of mackerel shark}} {{Use American English|date=April 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Speciesbox | fossil_range = Late Oligocene-Early Pleistocene, {{Fossil range|30|1.07|ref=<ref name=Klug>{{citation|author1=Klug, S.|author2=Kriwet, J.|title=Skeletal remains of the Miocene lamniform shark, Cosmopolitodus hastalis, from Peru|journal=Erlanger Geologische Abhandlungen|volume=6|page=99|url=https://www.petit-fichier.fr/2013/01/27/klug-s-kriwet-j-2008-cosmopolitodus-hasta/klug-s-kriwet-j-2008-cosmopolitodus-hasta.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Ebersoleetal>{{cite journal|author1=Ebersole, J.A.|author2=Ebersole, S.M.|author3=Cicimurri, D.J.|title=The occurrence of early Pleistocene marine fish remains from the Gulf Coast of Mobile County, Alabama, USA|journal=Palaeodiversity|year=2017|volume=10|issue=1|pages=97–115|doi=10.18476/pale.v10.a6|s2cid=134476316|doi-access=free}}</ref>}} | image = Isurus hastalis teeth.jpg | image_caption = Tooth series of ''Carcharodon hastalis'' | extinct = yes | genus = Carcharodon | species = hastalis | authority = Agassiz, 1843 | synonyms = *''Cosmopolitodus hastalis'' (Agassiz, 1843) *''Cosmopolitodus xiphodon''? (Agassiz, 1838) *''Cosmopolitodus plicatilis''? (Agassiz, 1843) *''Isurus hastalis'' (Agassiz, 1843) *''Isurus xiphodon''? (Agassiz, 1843) *''Lamna xiphodon''? (Agassiz, 1838) *''Carcharodon plicatilis''? (Agassiz, 1843) *''Oxyrhina hastalis'' (Agassiz, 1843) *''Oxyrhina xiphodon''? (Agassiz, 1843) }}

'''''Carcharodon hastalis''''' is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived between thirty and one million years ago during the late Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene epochs. The maximum adult length is estimated between {{convert|5|-|7|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

Its teeth can reach lengths up {{convert|7.5|-|8.9|cm|sp=us}} and are found worldwide.<ref name = fossilworks>{{cite web|title=Carcharodon hastalis Agassiz 1843 (white shark)|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=265174|website=Fossilworks|access-date=17 December 2021}}</ref> It is believed to be an ancestor to the modern day great white shark, an argument supported by the transitional species ''Carcharodon hubbelli.''<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20318175 | title=Great whites 'not from megashark'| work=BBC News| date=2012-11-14| last1=Crumpton| first1=Nick}}</ref><ref>Dana J. Ehret; Bruce J. Macfadden; Douglas S. Jones; Thomas J. Devries; David A. Foster; Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi (2012). "Origin of the white shark Carcharodon (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) based on recalibration of the Upper Neogene Pisco Formation of Peru".</ref>

==Taxonomy== A study on the phylogenetic relationship between ''Carcharodon hastalis'' and ''Carcharodon carcharias'' concluded that there is indeed a putative sister species of ''C. carcharias'' distinct from ''C. hastalis'' and proposed the taxon ''Carcharodon plicatilis'' for it, resolving the paraphyly issue.<ref name = Coine>{{cite journal|title=Oldest record of the Great White Shark (Lamnidae, Carcharodon; Miocene) in the Southern Atlantic|journal=Geobios|volume=45|issue=2|pages=167–172|doi=10.1016/j.geobios.2011.06.002|year=2012|last1=Cione|first1=Alberto Luis|last2=Cabrera|first2=Daniel Alfredo|last3=Barla|first3=María Julia|bibcode=2012Geobi..45..167C |hdl=11336/139163|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

== Description == thumb|left|''Carcharodon hastalis'' jaws ''Carcharodon hastalis'' teeth can grow up to {{convert|8.9|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, suggesting a large shark. It was a very sharp and powerful cutting shape without a side saw blade. Its body was probably similar to that of modern great whites. It is also believed to have a cosmopolitan distribution, with ''C. hastalis'' teeth being found worldwide.<ref name=Fossilguy>{{cite web | url=http://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/vert/fish-shark/carcharodon/index.htm | title=Great White Sharks and Prehistoric White Sharks}}</ref> === size === [[File:Cosmopolitodus hastalis size.png|thumb|Top ''Carcharodon plicatilis'', followed by adult maximum, average length and smallest individual length comparison (''Carcharodon hastalis'' is labeled as ''Cosmopolitodus'')]] The maximum adult length is estimated between about {{convert|5|-|7|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>Patrick L. Jambura; Julia Türtscher; Faviel A. López-Romero; Catalina Pimiento; Jürgen Kriwet (2019). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336567772_On_the_origin_of_the_great_white_shark_Carcharodon_carcharias On the origin of the great white shark Carcharodon carcharias.]</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pimiento|first1=C.|last2=Cantalapiedra|first2=J.L.|last3=Shimada|first3=K.|last4=Field|first4=D.J.|last5=Smaers|first5=J.B.|year=2019|title=Evolutionary pathways toward gigantism in sharks and rays|journal=Evolution|volume=73|issue=3|pages=588–599|doi=10.1111/evo.13680|pmid=30675721|bibcode=2019Evolu..73..588P |s2cid=59224442|issn=1558-5646|url=https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48696/Download/0048696-05022019162842.pdf }}</ref> Smaller individuals were about {{convert|1.8|-|4.6|m|ft}} long.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Purdy|first1=R. W.|last2=Schneider|first2=V. P.|last3=Applegate|first3=S. P.|last4=Mclellan|first4=J. H.|last5=Meyer|first5=R. L.|last6=Slaughter|first6=B. H|year=2001|chapter=The Neogene Shark, Ray, and Bony Fishes from Lee Creek Mina, Aurora North Carolina|editor-last1=Clayton|editor-first1=E. R.|editor-last2=Bohaska|editor-first2=D. J.|title=Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina|series=90|volume=3|location=Washington|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|pages=71–202|hdl=10088/2006|hdl-access=free}}</ref> ====Broad-form==== {{multiple image |align=right |perrow=2 |total_width=300

|image1=Isurus hastalis labiale.JPG |caption1=A broad form ''C. hastalis'' tooth

|image2=Cosmopolitodus hastalis tooth.jpg |caption2=A narrow form ''C. hastalis'' tooth

}} The broad form is characterized by broad-shaped teeth often described as being identical to that of modern great whites besides the lack of serrations.<ref name=Fossilguy /> Fossil evidence shows that the broad-form is the direct ancestor of the species ''Carcharodon carcharias'', and from the Pisco Formation in Peru show an evolutionary mosaic between them.<ref name = Ehret>{{cite journal|title=Origin of the white shark Carcharodon (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) based on recalibration of the Upper Neogene Pisco Formation of Peru|journal=Palaeontology|volume=55|issue=6|pages=1139–1153|doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01201.x|year=2012|last1=Ehret|first1=Dana J.|last2=MacFadden|first2=Bruce J.|last3=Jones|first3=Douglas S.|last4=Devries|first4=Thomas J.|last5=Foster|first5=David A.|last6=Salas-Gismondi|first6=Rodolfo|bibcode=2012Palgy..55.1139E |s2cid=128666594|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100316142519.htm | title=Jaws -- 4 million BC: How an extinct shark attacked its prey}}</ref>

==Paleobiology== [[File:White shark.jpg|thumb|''C. hastalis'' occupied a niche similar to the modern-day (''Carcharodon carcharias'')]] Its large size, fossil record, and Reaching {{convert|7.5|-|8.9|cm|in|sp=us}} large sharp hunting teeth suggest that ''Carcharodon hastalis'' was a active predator. According to the fossil record it probably ate small whales, dolphins, tuna, and other fast pelagic fish, as well as seals. This is a predatory diet similar to that of the modern great white shark, and ''C. hastalis'' included more fish in its diet than modern great white shark.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://repositorio.ingemmet.gob.pe/handle/20.500.12544/723 | title=A well preserved skeleton of the fossil shark Cosmopolitodus hastalis from the late Miocene of Peru, featuring fish remains as fossilized stomach contents | journal=Repositorio Institucional Ingemmet | date=March 2017 | last1=Collareta | first1=Alberto | last2=Landini | first2=Walter | last3=Chacaltana Budiel | first3=César Augusto | last4=Valdivia Vera | first4=Waldir | last5=Altamirano Sierra | first5=Ali J. | last6=Urbina Schmitt | first6=Mario | last7=Bianucci | first7=Giovanni }}</ref>The trophic level of ''C. hastalis'' was lower than or similar to that of the great white shark.<ref name="Martin2015">{{cite journal |last1=Martin |first1=J. E. |last2=Tacail |first2=T. |last3=Sylvain |first3=A. |last4=Catherine |first4=G. |last5=Vincent |first5=B. |year=2015 |title=Calcium isotopes reveal the trophic position of extant and fossil elasmobranchs |journal=Chemical Geology |volume=415 |pages=118–125 |bibcode=2015ChGeo.415..118M |doi=10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.09.011}}</ref>.

===Hunting behavior=== thumb|Specimen CPI-7899, featuring aggregate of skeletal and dermal fish remains ''C. hastalis'' was a confirmed hunter of marine mammals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=Stephen J. |last2=Perez |first2=Victor J. |last3=Jones |first3=Marcus |last4=Chapman |first4=Phillip F. |last5=Spencer |first5=Nathan |last6=Osborne |first6=Jason E. |date=3 July 2025 |title=New light on the trophic ecology of Carcharodon hastalis from teeth embedded in Miocene cetacean vertebrae from Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, USA |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393367603 |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=70 |issue=2 |pages=329–337 |doi=10.4202/app.01241.2025 |access-date=19 August 2025 |via=ResearchGate|doi-access=free }}</ref> It most likely would have been one of the major predators in its ecosystem, preying upon small whales and other mammals. Trace fossils in the form of tooth marks on the bones of a Pliocene dolphin of the species ''Astadelphis gastaldii'' reveal that ''C. hastalis'' attacked its prey from below and behind, much like the modern great white shark does. The deepest bite marks on the dolphin's ribs indicate the shark aimed for the abdomen of its prey to inflict a fatal bite quickly and incapacitate its prey, and that when the dolphin was attacked a second time, it was bitten near the dorsal fin, suggesting that the dolphin rolled over while injured. The size of the bites indicates further that the shark responsible was estimated to be {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100316142519.htm | title=Jaws -- 4 million BC: How an extinct shark attacked its prey}}</ref>

A well-preserved skeleton of a juvenile ''C. hastalis'' from Peru described in 2017 showcases that the shark also included fish in its diet. Stomach contents preserved with the fossil show this shark also fed on pilchards such as ancient sardines (genus ''Sardinops''), suggesting bony fish featured prominently in the shark's diet while it was young.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://repositorio.ingemmet.gob.pe/handle/20.500.12544/723 | title=A well preserved skeleton of the fossil shark Cosmopolitodus hastalis from the late Miocene of Peru, featuring fish remains as fossilized stomach contents | journal=Repositorio Institucional Ingemmet | date=March 2017 | last1=Collareta | first1=Alberto | last2=Landini | first2=Walter | last3=Chacaltana Budiel | first3=César Augusto | last4=Valdivia Vera | first4=Waldir | last5=Altamirano Sierra | first5=Ali J. | last6=Urbina Schmitt | first6=Mario | last7=Bianucci | first7=Giovanni }}</ref> === competing hypotheses === A paper on a new macroraptorial sperm whale found near ''Zygophyseter varolai'' hypothesized that sharks were one of the macroraptorial sperm whale's primary.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.13130/2039-4942/14284|PERI, E., COLLARETA, A. and BIANUCCI, G. (2020) “A NEW RECORD OF PHYSETEROIDEA FROM THE UPPER MIOCENE OF THE PIETRA LECCESE (SOUTHERN ITALY): SYSTEMATICS, PALEOECOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY OF A FOSSIL MACRORAPTORIAL SPERM WHALE”, RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA , 126(3). doi: 10.13130/2039-4942/14284.]</ref>''C. hastalis'' was found in the same strata, and ''C.hastalis'' is presumed to have been one of the macroraptorial sperm whale's food sources.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344566230_A_new_record_of_physeteroidea_from_the_upper_miocene_of_the_pietra_leccese_southern_italy_Systematics_paleoecology_and_taphonomy_of_a_fossil_macroraptorial_sperm_whale|A new record of physeteroidea from the upper miocene of the pietra leccese (southern italy): Systematics, paleoecology and taphonomy of a fossil macroraptorial sperm whale] [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alberto-Collareta/publication/344566230_A_new_record_of_physeteroidea_from_the_upper_miocene_of_the_pietra_leccese_southern_italy_Systematics_paleoecology_and_taphonomy_of_a_fossil_macroraptorial_sperm_whale/links/5f8072cf92851c14bcbbcbe0/A-new-record-of-physeteroidea-from-the-upper-miocene-of-the-pietra-leccese-southern-italy-Systematics-paleoecology-and-taphonomy-of-a-fossil-macroraptorial-sperm-whale.pdf?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19 (PDF)]</ref> Primitive great white sharks such as ''C. hasalis'' preferred different habitats from ''Otodus megalodon'' and unilaterally is avoided them. This suggests that ''Otodus megalodon'' competitively excluded great white shark, including ''C. hasalis''.<ref name=godfrey2005>{{cite journal|url=http://www.vmnh.net/content/File/Research_and_Collections/Jeffersoniana_Number_16.pdf|first1=S. J.|last1=Godfrey|first2=J.|last2=Altman|year=2005|title=A Miocene Cetacean Vertebra Showing a Partially Healed Compression Factor, the Result of Convulsions or Failed Predation by the Giant White Shark, ''Carcharodon megalodon''|journal=Jeffersoniana|number=16|pages=1–12|access-date=1 October 2017|archive-date=31 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131163724/http://www.vmnh.net/content/File/Research_and_Collections/Jeffersoniana_Number_16.pdf}}</ref><ref>Kast, Emma R.; Griffiths, Michael L.; Kim, Sora. L.; Rao, Zixuan C.; Shimada, Kensu; Becker, Martin A.; Maisch, Harry M.; Eagle, Robert A.; Clarke, Chelesia A.; Neumann, Allison N.; Karnes, Molly E.; Lüdecke, Tina; Leichliter, Jennifer N.; Martínez-García, Alfredo; Akhtar, Alliya A.; Wang, Xingchen T.; Haug, Gerald H.; Sigman, Daniel M. (22 June 2022). [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9217088/|"Cenozoic megatooth sharks occupied extremely high trophic positions". Science Advances.] 8 (25). eabl6529. Bibcode:2022SciA....8L6529K. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abl6529. PMC 9217088. PMID 35731884.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Lamnidae Category:Miocene first appearances Category:Pliocene species extinctions Category:Miocene sharks Category:Pliocene sharks Category:Fossil taxa described in 1843 Category:Taxa named by Louis Agassiz