Carcharodon Temporal range:
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Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Family: | Lamnidae |
Genus: | Carcharodon A. Smith, 1838 |
Type species | |
Carcharias atwoodi | |
Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Carcharodon (meaning "jagged/sharp tooth")[2] is a genus of sharks within the family Lamnidae, colloquially called the "white sharks." The only extant member is the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The extant species was preceded by a number of fossil (extinct) species including C. hubbelli and C. hastalis.[3] The first appearance of the genus may have been as early as the Early Miocene or Late Oligocene.[1] Carcharocles megalodon is still argued by some paleontologists (e.g. Michael D. Gottfried, Leonard Compagno, and Ewan Fordyce) to be a close relative of Carcharodon carcharias - as well as being in the same genus.[3] The megalodon's scientific name was originally "Carcharodon" megalodon (belonging to the same genus as the great white shark), but more recently, the giant shark has been assigned by most scientists to either the genus Carcharocles or Otodus.