Thomas Williamson, curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, told Discovery News that the new paper isn't the first reported evidence of shark feeding on a plesiosaur, but it is "the first evidence of feeding by the shark Cretalamna appendiculata." "It is interesting that such a large number of individuals of C. appendiculata -- six or seven -- may have participated in the predation or scavenging," Williamson said, adding that "similar numbers of modern shark species are known to behave this way." Williamson isn't, however, convinced by the inferred position of the plesiosaur during the feeding, as he said it could have moved during the course of the shark feasting. Shimada said he grew up reading about the plesiosaur in Japanese children's science books, and vividly remembers seeing photographs of the shark teeth in a pictorial science encyclopedia. "It's rather amusing -- and I'm honored at the same time -- that I was given an opportunity to formally describe the very same shark teeth about 30 years later," he said. Related Links: Jennifer Viegas' Blog: Born Animal |
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