squalodonts

Squalodonts were a group of large, carnivorous cetaceans that lived during the Oligocene to Miocene epoch, approximately 34-23 million years ago. Their name comes from the Greek words "skua," meaning shark, and "donte," meaning fish-toothed. This refers to their likely arrangement of teeth, which were adapted for catching and eating prey in the ocean.

Fossils of squalodonts have been found in oceans around the world, including North America, Europe, and Australia. These animals were characterized by their large size, reaching up to 6-8 meters in length. They had a robust, chunky body, likely suited for powerful swimming and hunting.

Their diet is inferred to have consisted mainly of fish and squid, based on the morphology of their teeth. These teeth were long, slender, and hook-like, perfect for hooking and tearing flesh. Squalodonts likely used their powerful jaws and long, pointed teeth to catch and eat their prey.

Squalodonts are considered a group of extinct cetaceans, distinct from modern whales, dolphins, and porpoises which belong to the suborder Odontoceti. Unlike their toothed ancestors, most modern cetaceans have give up their teeth and resorted to eating their prey whole or with bony beaks. Squalodonts represent a remnant of a transitional phase in cetacean evolution, when animals began to adapt to aquatic environments and develop specialized features for hunting and eating prey in the ocean.

Their extinction is still a topic of debate and research, but it is thought that squalodonts declined in numbers as larger cetaceans, such as sperm whales, entered their ecosystems and competed for resources.