meg123 Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Does anybody know how to differentiate megalodon, great white and mako from eachother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoc Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Does anybody know how to differentiate megalodon, great white and mako from eachother? They are very, very similar. The septia on makos are a little more lacy and fragile appearing. Megalodon has more regular, vertical septia and proportionly thicker end caps. But they are really hard to tell apart. From top (left to right): Otodus obliquus, Carcharodon carcharias, Odontaspis ferox, Carcharocles auriculatus, Carcharias taurus, Isurus paucus, Isurus paucus. . Note: Carcharocles and Otodus are most like Carcharias taurus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foshunter Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Is this a Carcharodon carcharias as well as a Hastalis?--Tom Grow Old Kicking And Screaming !!"Don't Tread On Me" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoc Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Is this a Carcharodon carcharias as well as a Hastalis?--Tom That would depend on the age. I doubt it is possible to differentiate vertebrae of Carcharodon from Cosmopolitodus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isurus90064 Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 Something like that would be the natural by-product of having to/needing to classify animals into species based on identifiable characters. We clearly separate I. hastalis from C. carcharis because we see that the animal acquired serrations. Who knows maybe this animal evolved in more significant ways (i.e. more significant than serrations) during the Mio- and Pliocene we don't know about that would warrant one or more splits in species designation. Point is that it is remarkably unlikely to see a change in vert centra between I. hastalis (C. hastalis) and C. carcharias. In other words in many of the shark families we're sometimes better off describing the evolutionary adaptations in the form of trends in physical characteristics within a genus (for example Cacharocles). During the time of acquisition of serrations undoubtedly some of these animals were swimming around with serrations, some without, and some with weak serrations. Seems like a silly thing to presume there was a difference in vertebra morphology. So in essence your question is an important one because it highlights the innate human need to classify things which even where classification is difficult and sometimes impossible. Fossil shark teeth from all over: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/2380-extraordinary-common-teeth/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isurus90064 Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 Is this a Carcharodon carcharias as well as a Hastalis?--Tom The above was meant as a reply to this posting .. :-) Fossil shark teeth from all over: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/2380-extraordinary-common-teeth/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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