New Zealand white shark

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The New Zealand white shark, Carcharodon angustidens is an extinct shark and was found around New Zealand. Carcharodon angustidens is related closely to the living white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, but differs in details.

The New Zealand white shark was larger than living white sharks. Proportions of teeth and vertebrae suggest that the animal was probably more than 9 m long and perhaps 8 tonnes in mass. Living white sharks reach about 6 m and ~1.2 tonnes. The shark perhaps ate penguins, fish, dolphins, and baleen whales.

[edit] References

Klimley, A.P. and Ainley, D. G. (eds) 1996. Great white sharks: the biology of Carcharodon carcharias. Academic Press, San Diego. 517 p.

Keyes, I.W. 1972. New records of the elasmobranch C. megalodon (Agassiz) and a review of the genus Carcharodon in the New Zealand fossil record. New Zealand journal of geology and geophysics 15: 228-242.