Lamnoid Shark Vertebrae

Remarks

• Collector:    Keith Minor
• Formation:  Eagle Ford Group, Kamp Ranch Limestone Member
• Location:     Dallas County, TX

Shark Vertebral Centrum; Monmouth Group, Wenonah Formation  Middlesex County, NJ

General Info

Although sharks have cartilaginous skeletons, the vertebrae are partially calcified to reinforce the backbone.  Here are just a few reports from the North American Cretaceous:

Stratigraphic Occurrence

• Lower Eagle Ford Group Group, Britton Formation of north Texas
• Eagle Ford Group, Kamp Ranch Limestone Member of the Arcadia Park Formation of north Texas
• Basal Austin Group, Basal Atco Formation of North Texas
• Sharon Springs Member of the Pierre Shale of Eastern Wyoming
• Fort Hays Limestone Member of the Niobrara formation of Western Kansas
• Upper Monmouth Group, Lower Navesink Formation of New Jersey
• Lower Matawan Group, Merchantville Formation of Northern Delaware

Geographic Occurrence (by no means an all-inclusive list)

• Dallas County, TX
• Denton County, TX
• Gove County, KS
• Middlesex County, NJ
• New Castle County, DE
• Niobrara County, WY
• Tarrant County, TX
• Travis County, TX

Remarks

        For identification and descriptions, see:

• Case, G. R. 1992. A Pictorial Guide to Fossils. Malabar: Krieger Publishing, p. 259.
• Finsley, C. 1989. A Field Guide to Fossils of Texas. Austin: Texas Monthly Press.
• Welton, B. J; Farish, R. F. 1993. The Collector’s Guide to Fossil Sharks and Rays from the Cretaceous of Texas. Lewisville: Before Time.