October 13, 2012

Geology Word of the Week: X is for Xiphactinus

Posted by Evelyn Mervine

A model of a live Xiphactinus. Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

def. Xiphactinus:
1. A large (15-20 ft long), predatory fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous.
2. A prehistoric sea monster. Seriously. What an enormous and scary looking fish.
3. A really, really cool fossil. Maybe one day I can display one in the library of my evil geologist lair.

One of the most famous fossils of Xiphactinus is the “fish within a fish” fossil located at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas. Ron Schott visited the museum several months ago and took many pictures as well as an incredible Gigapan of the “fish within a fish” fossil and some of the associated displays. Ron describes:

The centerpiece of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas is the world renowned “Fish Within a Fish”. This remarkably complete sample from Gove County, Kansas is of a fourteen foot long Xiphactinus that had ingested an eight foot long Gillicus shortly before its demise in the Western Interior Seaway some 80 million years ago.

Here are some pictures that Ron took of Xiphactinus:

A fossil fish within a fossil fish. Very cool! Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

Another view of the "fish within a fish" fossil. Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

A closer view of the big fish's head. Look at those teeth! Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

Scary fish teeth! Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

A Xiphactinus skull. Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

A reconstruction of the excavation of a Xiphactinus fossil. The model person gives a good sense of scale-- this is an enormous fish! Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

Another view of the model excavation. Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

Scary Xiphactinus mouth. Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

Boo! Photo courtesy of Ron Schott.

 

***Thanks to Ron Schott for suggesting this week’s word and providing all the wonderful scary pictures.***