Isurus hastalis (3) Fossil Shortifin Mako Shark's Tooth Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Lamnidae

Isurus hastalis cm 6.8 Fossil Shortfin Giant Mako Mackerel Shark Tooth Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Lamnidae, only a piece, as in photos.
Measures: 6.8 gr, diagonal cm 4.1, height cm 4, base cm 2.5.

The Giant Mako (Isurus hastalis), also known as Mako with Wide Teeth, is an extinct Shark of the Lamnidae family. It lived between the Oligocene and the Pliocene, and its fossil remains (mainly teeth) have been found in many areas of the world. Often this species is assigned to the genus Cosmopolitodus, although more recent studies and new findings seem to assign it to the genus Carcharodon.
The size of the teeth indicates that this shark had to be large, higher than those of the current Mako shark (4 meters long). If the body proportions between the two species were identical, the giant Mako could have exceeded the 6-meter length. The limitedness of the found remains prevents the animal from being reconstructed in detail, but it is very likely that it was almost identical to the mako or the great white shark.
Numerous teeth attributed to the giant mako have been found in many fields, in a particularly vast geological horizon. It is possible that these teeth belong to more species of sharks with similar teeth. Studies carried out in 1995 by Mikael Siverson led to reconsidering this species, which had been attributed to the genus Cosmopolitodus. Recent findings at the Pisco Basin in Peru and near the Potomac River suggest that this shark belongs to the same genus (Carcharodon) of the great white shark, of which it would be a progenitor.
The shape of the teeth, with a smooth and sharp edge, indicates without doubt that this animal was a great predator of the seas. He was probably able to attack large prey such as dolphins and whales. In the ulna of the fin of a young whale found in Orciano (Tuscany, Italy) has been observed the trace left by the bite of a shark. The imprint fits perfectly with the shape and size of a tooth of Isurus hastalis.