Stratodus

Stratodus
Temporal range: Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) - Eocene
Restoration
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Regan, 1911
Family: Dercetidae (?)
Genus: Stratodus
Cope, 1872
Species
  • S. apicalis (Cope, 1872)
Synonyms
  • S. oxypogon (Cope, 1877)

Stratodus is a genus of giant prehistoric aulopiform fish found in Cretaceous-aged marine strata of Kansas, Alabama, Morocco, Israel, and Niger, South Dakota, Jordan. It has also been found in the Tamaguélelt Formation of Mali, dating to the Lower Eocene, indicating that Stratodus survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. This sleek fish has an upper jaw filled with multiple rows of tiny teeth and was the largest aulopiform, reaching 5 meters in length.