CMNH 7917, Titanichthys jaw3D Model
CMNH 7917, Titanichthys Newberry, 1885; right inferognathal
Age: Devonian Rock unit: Cleveland Shale Member, Ohio Shale Formation
Locality: Ohio
Collectors: Peter A. Bungart Date Collected: 1946
Titanichthys had a distinctive lower jaw bone, called an inferognathal, on each side of its mouth. They were long (nearly two feet in adults) and curved, ending in a sharp point that looked like a fang. Its lower jaw differed from other arthrodires, with a deep groove behind the point instead of a bladed edge. Research indicates that the pointed tips of Titanichthys’ lower jaws naturally pointed down instead of up, possibly anchoring a strip of soft tissue that stretched between the two jaw tips and helped the fish strain plankton from incoming seawater for food, like modern basking, whale, and megamouth sharks do.
Scanner: Artec Spider
Image by Hailey Majewski, Digital Asset Developer, CMNH
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