Using Teeth to Determine
the Evolutionary Lineage of
the Great White Shark
Sarah Elise Field
Bailey Keeler
Elizabeth Lillard
Kristin Oliver
CRANIATES
Relating to Our Lectures:
Craniate Relationships
Chondrichthyes
Sarcopterygii
Vertebrates
Osteichthyes
Actinopterygii
Why Study
Shark
Tooth
Evolution?
• Sharks are cartilaginous
• Teeth are calcified – long lasting
• Good for pre-historic shark
morphology, predation techniques,
and environmental conditions.
• Common ancestor with bony
fishes: feeding behaviors can shed
light on vertebrate feeding systems
function and evolution. (Motta
2001, 132)
Examples of Extinct Mako Teeth
• Sharp, needle like teeth usually indicate a diet
consisting primarily of fish. Pointy teeth are
good for catching streamlined-slippery prey.
•
-elasmo-research.org (Images) -Shark Savers (text)
Shortfin Mako Tooth
• A modern day Mako
tooth.
Megalodon Tooth
-Broadly Triangular, thick,
with fine serrations.
-ReefQuest
Otodus Obliquus
• A direct descendent of
the Megalodon
(Carcharocles
megalodon). A more
triangular smooth
blade.
•
ReefQuest
Great White Shark
(Carcharodon carcharias)
Broadly triangular,
flattened, coarsely
serrated. –ReefQuest
Teeth Through the Ages
Other Shark Teeth Morphologies
• There are also benthic feeding sharks with plate-like
teeth for crushing the shells of their prey, and filter
feeders like the whale shark whose teeth are tiny and
useless. (Shark Savers)
Australianmuseum.net
MEGALODON
Megalodon
Megalodon-Great White Theory (pros)
•
•
•
Tooth morphology
– size and shape
– Linnaean System (Early 1800’s)
Heterochrony
– Size and shape are a result of
differences in the timing of development
Vertebras
– similar
Discrepancies
(Megalodon)
(Great White)
(Ancestral Mako)
(Ciampaglio)
Carcharodon carcharias
http://www.badhaven.com/special-features/great-white-shark-origins-debunked-with-new-fossil-evidence/
Carcharodon hastalis
Carcharodon hubbelli at the Pisco Formation
Carcharodon hubbelli
C. hubbelli Vertebrae
Other Examples of Shark Teeth
Nurse Shark
Tiger Shark
Whale Shark
Lemon Shark
Bull Shark
???????????
Helicoprion!
Early Theories
Shift to Lower Jaw
Most Current Theory
Frill
Shark!
X 25 rows
Conservation
Conservation: Studying shark
teeth sheds light on feeding
strategy and environmental
conditions which would allow
conservationists to make
more informed decisions
regarding the ecosystems
and prey necessary to
sustain a population of
Great Whites. Also,
understanding their
evolution could shed light
on the possible adaptive
strategies utilized by sharks
in response to changing
environments.
Further
Research
Any
Questions?
Citations
•
Castro, J. I. Great white sharks: The biology of carcharodon carcharias. 1998.
Ciampaglio, C. N., & Wray, G. A. Tracing the ancestry of the great white shark, carcharodon carcharias, using morphometric
analyses of fossil teeth. 2006. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26(4): 806.
Ebert, D., and L. Compagno. Chlamydoselachus Africana, a New Species of Frilled Shark from Southern Africa. 2009. Zootaxa
2173: n. pag. Web.
Ehret, Dana J. Origin of the White Shark Carcharodon (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) Based on
Recalibration of the Upper Neogene Pisco Formation of Peru. 2012. Palaeontology 55.6:
1139-153. The Palaeontological Association. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.
Lebedev, O. A New Specimen of Helicoprion Karpinsky , 1899 from Kazakhstanian Cisurals and a New Reconstruction of Its
Tooth Whorl and Function. 2009. Acta Zoologica 90: 171-82. Web.
Manning, P. Giant shark: Megalodon, prehistoric super predator. 2000. New York: Media Source.
Martin, A. Deep Sea: Frilled Shark. Deep Sea: Frilled Shark. 2003. N.p., Web. <http://elasmoresearch.org/education/ecology/deepsea-frilled_shark.htm>.
Motta, Philip J., and Cheryl D. Wilga. Advances in the Study of Feeding Behaviors, Mechanisms, and Mechanics of Sharks.
2001. Environmental Biology of Fishes 60: 131-56.
Paul, L. & Fowler, S. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003) 2003. Chlamydoselachus anguineus. In:
IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>
Purdy, R. The Orthodonty of Helicoprion. Smithsonian Department of Paleobiology, 2008. Web.
ReefQuest Center for Shark Research. Lamniformes: Mackerel Sharks. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.elasmoresearch.org/education/shark_profiles/lamniformes.htm>.
Renz, Mark. Megalodon: Hunting the Hunter. 2002. PaleoPress.
Shark Savers Inc. Shark Teeth. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/biology/shark-teeth1/>.
Tanaka, S., Y. Shiobara, S. Hioki, H. Abe, G. Nishi, K. Yano, and K. Suzuki. The Reproductive Biology of the Frilled Shark,
Chlamydoselachus Anguineus from Suruga Bay, Japan. 1990. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 37.3: n. pag. Web
Venice Florida dot com!. Venice Florida- Shark and Sharks’ Teeth Information. Shark Teeth-General Info. Web. 22 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.veniceflorida.com/shark.htm>.