6.3 cm beautifully preserved tooth of Scapanorhynchus rapax (goblin shark †)

6.3 cm beautifully preserved tooth of Scapanorhynchus rapax (goblin shark †)

The very large tooth of Scapanorhynchus rapax (goblin shark), measuring 6.3 cm, is in perfect condition. The enamel is yellowish in color and the root is white, which is typical for shark tooth finds from Morocco. Scapanorhynchus rapax is an extinct shark species from the Mitsukurinidae family (goblin sharks). The genus Scapanorhynchus was widespread throughout the world and is known primarily from fossil teeth. Characteristic of Scapanorhynchus, and thus also of S. rapax, is the long, distinctive snout extension, which presumably served to detect electric fields in the low-light deep sea. The animals grew to a length of about 50 centimeters and had a strikingly long, asymmetrical tail fin. S. rapax is considered an early representative of modern neoselachians and was probably an active, deep-sea hunter that fed on smaller fish.