Xiphactinus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids XiphactinusTemporal range: Cretaceous
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Phylum: | |
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Pachycormiformes
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| Family: |
Ichthyodectidae
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| Genus: |
Xiphactinus
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| Species: |
X. audax
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| Binomial name | |
| Xiphactinus audax Leidy, 1870
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Xiphactinus (from Latin and Greek for "sword-ray") was a large, 4.5 to 5 m (15 to 20 feet) long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous. Skeletal remains of Xiphactinus have come from Kansas, Alabama, and Georgia in the United States, as well as Europe and Australia.
Description
Above all else, Xiphactinus was a great swimmer, able to speed towards or away from virtually anything else in the seas of the time. It may have been able to leap above the waves at times to help dislodge parasites from its skin. It was not however immune from attack. If injured, its large size meant it was easy to spot and could become prey for sharks, Mosasaurs, and other Xiphactinus.
Images for kids
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Xiphactinus swimming
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Gillicus arcuatus within the stomach of Xiphactinus audax, George F. Sternberg's most famous fossil find.
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Xiphactinus compared to other ichthyodectids
See also
In Spanish: Xiphactinus para niños
