Onchosaurus is an extinct genus of sclerorhynchid sawskate from the Late Cretaceous (84.9 to 66.043 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in the Cretaceous sediments of Egypt, Brazil, Congo, Morocco, France, Niger, Japan, Chile,[1] Peru and the United States.[2]
| Onchosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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| Fossil vertebrae of Onchosaurus marocanus from Khouribga (Morocco) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Batoidea |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | †Sclerorhynchidae |
| Genus: | †Onchosaurus Gervais, 1852 |
| Type species | |
| †Onchosaurus radicalis Gervais, 1852
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| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
These sclerorhynchiform sawfishes are only known by isolated vertebra and rostral spines. On the basis of fossil findings they are considered large, bottom-dwelling fishes, mainly inhabiting shallow marine habitats, but they were also powerful swimmers.[3]
Species edit
Species within this genus include:[2][4][5]
- Onchosaurus marocanus Arambourg, 1935
- Onchosaurus pharao (Dames, 1887)
- Onchosaurus radicalis Gervais, 1852
References edit
- ^ Suárez, M. E.; Cappetta, H. (2004). "Sclerorhynchid teeth (Neoselachii, Sclerorhynchidae) from the Late Cretaceous of the Quiriquina Formation, central Chile". Revista Geológica de Chile. 31 (1): 89–103. doi:10.4067/S0716-02082004000100005.
- ^ a b Fossilworks
- ^ Kriwet, J.; Klug, S. (2012). "Presence of the extinct sawfish, Onchosaurus (Neoselachii, Sclerorhynchiformes) in the Late Cretaceous of Peru with a review of the genus". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 39: 52–58. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2012.06.007.
- ^ ARAMBOURG, C. (1935) Note préliminaire sur les vertébrés fossiles des phosphates du Maroc. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France, 5 (5): 413–439, 2 fig., 2 pl.
- ^ George S. Williams A Listing of Fossil Sharks and Rays of the World
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