A5009095193- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Marine animal studies overview
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Marine and fisheries research
- Marine and environmental studies
- Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Geological formations and processes
- Geological Studies and Exploration
- Archaeology and Natural History
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Geological Modeling and Analysis
- Mineralogy and Gemology Studies
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Geological Formations and Processes Exploration
William Paterson University
2013-2025
The Graduate Center, CUNY
2018
Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
2016
College of New Jersey
1998-2006
Diet is a crucial trait of an animal's lifestyle and ecology. The trophic level organism indicates its functional position within ecosystem holds significance for ecology evolution. Here, we demonstrate the use zinc isotopes (δ66Zn) to geochemically assess in diverse extant extinct sharks, including Neogene megatooth shark (Otodus megalodon) great white (Carcharodon carcharias). We reveal that dietary δ66Zn signatures are preserved fossil tooth enameloid over deep geologic time robust...
Trophic position is a fundamental characteristic of animals, yet it unknown in many extinct species. In this study, we ground-truth the 15N/14N ratio enameloid-bound organic matter (δ15NEB) as trophic level proxy by comparison to dentin collagen δ15N and apply method fossil record reconstruct megatooth sharks (genus Otodus). These evolved Cenozoic, culminating Otodus megalodon, shark with maximum body size more than 15 m, which went 3.5 million years ago. Very high δ15NEB values (22.9 ±...
The evolution of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, and its close phylogenetic relatives remains enigmatic. A central question persists regarding thermophysiological origins these large predatory sharks through geologic time, including whether O. megalodon was ectothermic or endothermic (including regional endothermy), thermophysiology could help to explain iconic shark's gigantism eventual demise during Pliocene. To address uncertainties, we present unique geochemical evidence...
Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae) is an iconic Neogene shark, but the lack of well-preserved skeletons has hampered our understanding various aspects its biology. Here, we reassess some biological properties using a new approach, based on known vertebral specimens O. and 165 species extinct extant neoselachian sharks across ten orders. Using median neurocranial caudal fin proportions relative to trunk proportion among non-mitsukurinid/non-alopiid lamniforms, show that could have...
The Western Interior Seaway (WIS) was a major epicontinental sea that divided North America during the Late Cretaceous with rich ecosystem hosted wide variety of marine life. seaway home to diverse range species, from microscopic planktonic organisms giant reptiles and sharks. However, food web structures trophic interactions among taxa remain largely ambiguous due challenges in reconstructing ecological fossil record. Fossil evidence predator-prey such as preserved bite marks, stomach...
Extinct lamniform sharks (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes) are well represented in the late Mesozoic‒Cenozoic fossil record, yet their biology is poorly understood because they mostly only by teeth. Here, we present measurements taken from specimens of all 13 species extant macrophagous lamniforms to generate functions that would allow estimations body, jaw, and dentition lengths extinct These quantitative enable us examine body size distribution known genera over geologic time. Our study...
Erosion of the upper Arkadelphia Formation by Ouachita River in Hot Spring County, Arkansas, has revealed a diverse and abundant, late Maastrichtian chondrichthyan fauna representing at least 17 species: Squatina hassei, Ginglymostoma lehneri, Plicatoscyllium derameei, Ondontaspis aculeatus, Carcharias cf. C. holmdelensis, Serratolamna serrata, Squalicorax kaupi, Galeorhinus girardoti, Rhinobatos casieri, Ischyrhiza avonicola, mira, Sclerorhynchus sp., Ptychotrygon P. vermiculata, Raja...
The late Neogene megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), is mostly known for its gigantic teeth and vertebrae. Re-examination of the rock matrix surrounding a previously described associated tooth set O. from upper Miocene Japan resulted in observation numerous fragments tessellated calcified cartilage placoid scales. morphology each tessera arrangement overall are practically identical to those extant chondrichthyans. Many scales possess pronounced, rather...
The extinct megatooth shark, †Otodus megalodon, which likely reached at least 15 m in total length, is an iconic shark represented primarily by its gigantic teeth the Neogene fossil record.As one of largest marine carnivores to ever exist, understanding biology, evolution, and extinction †O.megalodon important because it had a significant impact on ecology evolution ecosystems that shaped present-day oceans.Some attempts inferring body form have been carried out, but they are all speculative...
ABSTRACT The middle part of the Fairpoint Member Fox Hills Formation in Meade County, South Dakota consists marine shoreface deposits and contains a chondrichthyan assemblage that includes both pelagic bottom-feeding forms. genera (e.g., Rhombodus, Carcharias, Serratolamna, Ischyrhiza) widely known from Upper Cretaceous rocks Western Interior, other parts North America, Europe, Africa, Asia. This many same reported by Cicimurri (1998) lignitic Stoneville lithofacies upper Member....
Deformed teeth are found as rare components of the dentitions both modern and fossil chondrichthians. Tooth deformities occur bent or twisted tooth crowns, missing misshaped cusps, atypical protuberances, perforations, abnormal root structures. files consisting unusually overlapped small teeth, misaligned in jaw also forms, but deformed generally not recognizable fossils due to post-mortem dissociation jaws. A survey 200 lamniform carcharhiniform sharks well literature sources indicate that...
ABSTRACT A lag deposit that separates the underlying late Maastrichtian Arkadelphia Formation marl from overlying Paleocene Midway Group limestone in Hot Spring County, Arkansas, U.S.A., contains osteichthyan teeth, scales, and skeletal elements belonging to: Cylindracanthus ornatus Leidy, 1856 J. 1856. Description of two ichthyodorulites. Proceedings Academy Natural Science Philadelphia, 8: 11–12. [Google Scholar], Atractosteus sp., Lepisosteus cf. Hadrodus priscus 1857 1857. Notices some...
Anomuran microcoprolites are preserved in the Late Cretaceous lowermost Navesink Formation Monmouth County, New Jersey. These occur within lens-to cigar-shaped phosphatic clay masses that occasionally include fragments of anomuran appendages. Individual pellet-or rod-shaped and morphologically similar longitudinal cross-section to fecal material excreted from ventro-dorsal hindgut modern anomurans. The association these situ with Ophiomorpha burrows decapod crustacean Protocallianassa...
The Lower Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in southeastern Utah preserves a chondrichthyan assemblage at least 13 taxa that include: Hybodus sp., Ptychodus cf. P. mammillaris Agassiz, 1843, whipplei Marcou, 1858, Chiloscyllium Scapanorhynchus raphiodon (Agassiz, 1843), Cretodus crassidens (Dixon, 1850), Leptostyrax Cretalamna appendiculata 1835), Squalicorax Pseudohypolophus mcnultyi (Thurmond, 1971), Protoplatyrhina hopii Williamson, Kirkland and Lucas, 1993, Ischyrhiza...
Chipped and broken functional teeth are common in modern sharks with serrated tooth shape. Tooth damage consists of splintering, cracking, flaking near the cusp apex where enameloid is exposes osteodentine orthodentine. Such generally viewed as result forces applied during feeding impacts skeletal anatomy prey. Damage seen from Squalicorax kaupi [1] pristodontus late Cretaceous lowermost Navesink Formation New Jersey resembles that occurring suggests similar behavior. Tumbling experiments...
The extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), is known primarily from its gigantic teeth in the late Neogene marine fossil record. It to reach at least 14.1‒15.3 m length, but reproductive biology and ontogenetic growth pattern have remained largely realm of speculation. Here, we examined incremental bands vertebrae a 9.2-m-long individual O. megalodon, revealing that shark was born large, 2 died age 46. This large size birth characteristic lamniform sharks...
The submerged continental shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, preserves hardbottom limestone scarps with underlying clays as small isolated exposures in progressively deeper water seaward from the modern-day shoreline. These formed a result wave- and current-driven erosion, transport, redeposition bottom sediments due to glacioeustactic sea level cyclicity migration ancestral shoreline since Pliocene. Fossiliferous lag deposits containing an abundance lamniform carcharhiniform teeth,...
The late Neogene megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, is known mainly from its gigantic teeth and possibly reached 18–20 m in total length (TL). We re-examine the previously proposed body size trends nursery areas of O. megalodon by confining used samples to upper anterior offering more reliable TL estimates, taking paleolatitudes sea-surface temperatures into consideration. demonstrate that individuals are on average larger cooler water than those warmer – a pattern attributable Bergmann's...
Well-preserved fin spines, ornate opercular bones and thick ctenoid scales recovered from the unconsolidated marine sediments of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary interval in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey, USA derive at least one species enigmatic euacanthopterygian fish. Within this group fossils are most similar to corresponding some beryciforms. The spines less than 1.5 cm long, have complex basal articulation structures, a narrow posterior sulcus extending almost distal tip. Most...
The shallow continental shelf in the Cape Fear Region of southwestern Onslow Bay, North Carolina, contains lag deposits with an abundance megatoothed shark teeth belonging to Otodus megalodon (Agassiz 1835) and chubutensis (Ameghino 1906) that derive from Pliocene Yorktown Miocene Pungo River formations, respectively. These exhibit different frequencies orientations macroborings identified as Gastrochaenolites torpedo Kelly Bromley (1984 Kelly, S., R. Bromley. 1984. “Ichnological...