Xiphactinus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Xiphactinus audax Leidy, 1870 |
| Xiphactinus | |
|---|---|
| Type | ray-finned fish |
| Length | 13-20 ft (4-6 m) |
| Age | 70 million years ago |
| Diet | carnivore |
| Environment | ocean |
| Distribution | USA |
Xiphactinus audax (from Latin and Greek for "sword-ray daring") was a large predatory bony fish that lived in the Cretaceous period. It grew to a legnth of at least 20 feet long. Skeletal remains of Xiphactinus have come from Kansas, Alabama, and Georgia. Its jaws were filled with pointed teeth to catch smaller fish and possibly others of its own kind. Skeletal remains of this giant have been found in mosasaur remains, specifically Tylosaurus proriger. Xiphactinus audax was also prey to Cretoxyrhina.
One 15 foot fossil specimen has been found with another, perfectly preserved 6 foot long relative, Gillicus arcuatus, inside of it. The beast died immediately after eating its relative, possibly due to its prey struggling and rupturing an organ as it was being swallowed.
X. audax is featured in the BBC documentary, Sea Monsters, in the segment, "Hell's Aquarium," about the Western Interior Seaway that covered much of central North America during the Cretaceous.
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