Xiphactinus Audax
Xiphactinus was one of the largest bony fish of the Late
Cretaceous and is considered one of the fiercest creatures in the sea. A
powerful tail and winglike pectoral fins shot the 17-foot-long
(5-meter-long) monster through the surface waters of the ocean. Unlucky
fish and unsuspecting seabirds were snared inside Xiphactinus's upturned jaw, which was lined with giant, fanglike teeth, giving it an expression akin to that of a bulldog.
A 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) Xiphactinus
could open its jaw wide enough to swallow six-foot-long
(two-meter-long) fish whole, but it itself was occasionally prey to the
shark Cretoxyrhina.
Xiphactinus trolled an ancient ocean called the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of central North America during the Cretaceous. Though long extinct, if alive today the bony fish would look like a giant, fanged tarpon.
A 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) Xiphactinus
could open its jaw wide enough to swallow six-foot-long
(two-meter-long) fish whole, but it itself was occasionally prey to the
shark Cretoxyrhina.Xiphactinus trolled an ancient ocean called the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of central North America during the Cretaceous. Though long extinct, if alive today the bony fish would look like a giant, fanged tarpon.
