GnathostomataIchthyodectidae

Ichthyodectes ctenodon

Ichthyodectes ctenodon skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, length ~3 m.
Scale bar = 1 meter
Taxon
Ichthyodectes ctenodon Cope, 1870
Reconstructed length
~3 m (10 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2015
Clade
  1. Gnathostomata
  2. Actinopterygii
  3. Ichthyodectidae

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A Late Cretaceous teleost of the North American inland sea, this 3 m (10 foot) predatory fish was actually a smaller relative of the giant Xiphactinus. Its jaws carried a single row of even, closely spaced teeth rather than the outsized fangs of its cousin, though smaller fish probably would prefer to not bump into either of them, when given a choice!