Ptychodus
| Ptychodus Temporal range: Early-Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| Complete specimen of Ptychodus sp. (MMSP CPC 3064) from Agua Nueva Formation | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Lamniformes |
| Family: | †Ptychodontidae Jaekel, 1898 |
| Genus: | †Ptychodus Agassiz, 1835 |
| Type species | |
| Ptychodus latissimus Agassiz, 1835 | |
| Other species | |
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List
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Ptychodus (from Greek: πτυχή ptyche 'fold' and Greek: ὀδούς odoús 'tooth') is a genus of extinct large durophagous (shell-crushing) lamniform sharks from the Cretaceous period, spanning from the Albian to the Campanian. Fossils of Ptychodus teeth are found in many Late Cretaceous marine sediments worldwide.
At least 16 species are considered valid, with the largest members of the genus suggested to have grown up to 10 meters (33 feet) long. The youngest remains date to around 75 million years ago. A large number of remains have been found in the former Western Interior Seaway.