Cretodus
| Cretodus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| C. crassidens teeth from the Turonian of Italy | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | †Pseudoscapanorhynchidae |
| Genus: | †Cretodus Sokolov, 1965 |
| Type species | |
| †Cretodus crassidens Dixon, 1850 | |
| Species | |
| |
Cretodus is an extinct genus of large mackerel sharks belonging to the proposed family Pseudoscapanorhynchidae. Cretodus lived during the Late Cretaceous, ranging from the Cenomanian to the Coniacian (approximately 100 to 89 million years ago). The genus is well-known from strata deposited in the Western Interior Seaway (North America), and from the Late Cretaceous of Europe, Africa, and possibly Asia. Cretodus is primarily represented in the fossil record by isolated teeth and vertebral centra, though a couple of associated dentitions and vertebral columns have been found.