Title
A well preserved skeleton of the fossil shark Cosmopolitodus hastalis from the late Miocene of Peru, featuring fish remains as fossilized stomach contents
Date Issued
01 January 2017
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Collareta A.
Landini W.
Valdivia W.
Bianucci G.
Publisher(s)
Universita degli Studi di Milano
Abstract
Both the preservation of the poorly mineralized skeleton of sharks and the preservation of stomach contents are rarely observed in the fossil record. Here we report on a partial skeleton of a lamniform shark, including portions of the visceral arches and the anterior segment of the vertebral column, collected from the late Miocene beds of the Pisco Formation exposed at Cerro Yesera (Ica Desert, South Peru). Based on the morphology of the preserved teeth, this specimen was determined as a juvenile of the extinct lamnid species Cosmopolitodus hastalis. The shark skeleton includes remains of fish (featuring a pilchard determined as Sardinops sp. cf. S. sagax) in the abdominal region. These fish remains are interpreted herein as the fossilized stomach contents of the shark. For the first time, piscivory is demonstrated in a juvenile individual of Cosmopolitodus hastalis. This result is consistent with the current knowledge about the feeding habits of immature individuals of extant lamniform shark species (including Carcharodon carcharias and Isurus oxyrinchus). Our report further outlines the fundamental role of schooling pilchards in the late Miocene trophic chains of the highly productive coastal waters off present South Peru. Moreover, the find of this well preserved shark skeleton strengthens the qualification of the Pisco Formation as a Fossil-Lagerstätte, and emphasizes the role of early mineralization processes in cases of exceptional preservation.
Start page
11
End page
22
Volume
123
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
PaleontologĂa
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85013408529
Source
Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia
ISSN of the container
00356883
Sponsor(s)
This research was supported by a grant of the Italian Ministero dell’Istruzione dell’UniversitĂ e della Ricerca (PRIN Project 2012YJSBMK) to G. Bianucci and by the UniversitĂ di Pisa (PRA_2015_0028). The present paper is a contribution of the Pro-grama de PaleontologĂa de la DirecciĂłn de GeologĂa Regional del Instituto GeolĂłgico Minero y MetalĂşrgico (INGEMMET) and a result of the Convenio EspecĂfico between the INGEMMET and the Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
Sources of information:
Directorio de ProducciĂłn CientĂfica
Scopus