Eagle Shark: Discovering the 93-Million-Year-Old Winged Ancient Species
- Ancient marine fossil discoveries reveal that an unusual species of winged shark once inhabited the oceans of modern-day Mexico approximately 93 juta tahun yang lalu, according to recent...
- The specimen displays a combination of anatomical traits previously seen separately in modern sharks and rays.
- Due to its anatomy and lack of prominent teeth, researchers determined that Aquilolamna milarcae functioned as a plankton consumer rather than an apex predator.
Ancient marine fossil discoveries reveal that an unusual species of winged shark once inhabited the oceans of modern-day Mexico approximately 93 juta tahun yang lalu, according to recent paleontological findings published in the journal Science. Named Aquilolamna milarcae and frequently called the “eagle shark,” the prehistoric creature featured extraordinarily long pectoral fins resembling wings, spanning roughly 1.9 meters across a body measuring about 1.65 meters in length.
Discovery and Physical Characteristics of Aquilolamna milarcae
The specimen displays a combination of anatomical traits previously seen separately in modern sharks and rays. While it possessed a shark-like body plan, its exceptionally elongated pectoral fins gave it the appearance of a winged glider swimming through ancient waters. According to lead researcher Romain Vullo, a vertebrate paleontologist at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Geosciences Rennes in France, the animal was poorly adapted for fast swimming or active hunting. You could make an analogy like a glider, Vullo noted, describing the creature’s slow locomotion. Furthermore, the fossil features a large head devoid of teeth in the recovered skeletal remains, indicating that its teeth were extremely small or completely absent.
Dietary Habits and Evolutionary Placement
Due to its anatomy and lack of prominent teeth, researchers determined that Aquilolamna milarcae functioned as a plankton consumer rather than an apex predator. Similar to modern manta rays and devil rays, the eagle shark filtered plankton from the water when hungry. However, fossil evidence indicates that the eagle shark existed approximately 30 juta tahun sebelum kemunculan salah satu dari kedua jenis ikan pari tersebut, suggesting it may have shared marine habitats with ancient relatives of modern filter-feeding species. Sharks, manta rays, and other cartilaginous fish belong to a broader biological group known as elasmobranchs, which emerged around 380 juta tahun lalu. Modern plankton-eating elasmobranchs typically exhibit two distinct body forms: the shark-like morphology seen in whale sharks and the flattened shape of manta rays. The newly analyzed eagle shark combined features from both groups, though researchers emphasize it is not a direct ancestor of modern rays. Instead, the species represents an example of convergent evolution, where distinct groups independently develop similar physical traits.
Anatomical Puzzles and Extinction Context
The fossil skeleton presents several unique structural questions for paleontologists studying elasmobranch taxonomy. The specimen lacks a traditional dorsal fin along its back, though researchers remain uncertain whether the fin was naturally absent or simply failed to fossilize. Additionally, the fossil does not possess pelvic fins near its lower tail region. Because identifying shark fossils generally relies on dental characteristics, co-author Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University in Chicago explained to Live Science that the research team tentatively assigned the new fossil to the order Lamniformes. This classification is based on visible traits in its backbone and tail skeleton, which are taxonomically less definitive than teeth. Modern lamniform sharks include species such as the goblin shark and the great white shark. The exact cause of extinction for Aquilolamna milarcae remains undetermined. Scientists suggest its disappearance could be linked to the catastrophic impact of a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid at the end of the Cretaceous period roughly 65,5 juta tahun lalu, a mass extinction event that also eradicated the majority of the Earth’s dinosaur population.
