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{{Short description|Extinct genus of ray-finned fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Xiphactinus fossil SIAMNH.jpg
| image_caption = Mounted skeleton of ''XiphactinusX. audax'' fossil fromat the [[NationalAmerican Museum of Natural History]]
| fossil_range = [[Albian]]–[[Maastrichtian]]<br />~{{fossilrange|112100.5|66}}
| taxon = Xiphactinus
| authority = [[Joseph Leidy|Leidy]], 1870
| type_species = {{extinct}}'''''Xiphactinus audax'''''
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]▼
| type_species_authority = [[Joseph Leidy|Leidy]], 1870
| subdivision = * {{extinct}}'''''X. audax''''' {{small|Leidy 1870<ref name="FWXiphactinus">[http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=35308 ''Xiphactinus''] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref>}}
▲| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
* {{extinct}}'''''X. vetus''''' {{small|Leidy 1856<ref name="X. vetus">{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/02724634.1997.10011007 |first1=David R. |last1=Schwimmer |first2=J. D. |last2=Stewart |first3=G. Dent |last3=Williams |year=1997 |title=''Xiphactinus vetus'' and the Distribution of ''Xiphactinus'' Species in the Eastern United States |journal=[[Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology]] |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=610–15 |jstor=4523841}}</ref>}}
| subdivision = *{{extinct}} '''''X. audax''''' {{small|Leidy, 1870}}
| synonyms = *''Portheus molossus'' <small>[[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 1871</small>▼
*{{extinct}} '''''X. vetus''''' {{small|Leidy, 1856}}
*''Unicerosaurus'' <small>Baugh, 1982</small>▼
| subdivision_ref = <ref name=Vavrek16/>
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|title=List of synonyms<ref name=Bardack1965>{{cite journal|author=Bardack, D.|year=1965|title=Anatomy and evolution of chirocentrid fishes|journal=The University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions|volume=10|pages=1–88|hdl=1808/3814 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1808/3814}}</ref><ref name=Schwimmeretal1997 />|
{{collapsible list|title=Synonyms of ''X. audax''|
▲| synonyms = *''PortheusSaurocephalus molossusaudax'' <small>[[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 18711870</small>
*''Saurocephalus thaumas'' <small>Cope, 1870</small>
*''Portheus molossus'' <small>Cope, 1871</small>
*''Portheus thaumas'' <small>Cope, 1871</small>
*''Portheus lestrio'' <small>Cope, 1873</small>
▲*''UnicerosaurusPortheus mudgei'' <small>BaughCope, 19821874</small>
*''Portheus lowii'' <small>Stewart, 1898</small>
*''Xiphactinus molossus'' <small>Stewart, 1898</small>
*''Xiphactinus thaumas'' <small>Stewart, 1898</small>
*''Xiphactinus brachygnathus'' <small>Stewart, 1899</small>
*''Xiphactinus lowii'' <small>Stewart, 1900</small>
*''Xiphactinus gaultinus'' <small>Newton, 1877</small>
*''Xiphactinus mantelli'' <small>Newton, 1877</small>
*''Megalodon sauroides'' <small>[[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1835</small>
*''Megalodon? lewesiensis'' <small>[[Gideon Mantell|Mantell]], 1836</small>
*''Hypsodon lewesiensis'' <small>Agassiz, 1843</small>
*''Portheus mantelli'' <small>Newton, 1877</small>
*''Portheus daviesi'' <small>Newton, 1877</small>
}}
{{collapsible list|title=Synonyms of ''X. vetus''|
*''Polygonodon vetus'' <small>Leidy, 1856</small>
*''Polygonodon rectus'' <small>Emmons, 1858</small>
*''Mossasaurus rectus'' <small>Emmons, 1858</small>{{efn|[[sic]]}}
*''Portheus angulatus'' <small>Cope, 1872</small>
*''Xiphactinus angulatus'' <small>Schwimmer et al., 1992</small>
}}
}}
}}
 
'''''Xiphactinus''''' (from [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] for "[[sword]]-ray") is an [[Extinction (biology)|extinct]] genus of large predatory marine [[ray-finned fish]] that lived during the late [[Albian]] to the late [[Maastrichtian]].<ref name=Julieta20/> The genus grew up to {{convert|5|-|6|m|ft}} in length, and superficially resembled a gargantuan, fanged [[tarpon]].<ref name=Vavrek16>{{cite journal|author1=Vavrek, M.J.|author2=Murray, A.M.|author3=Bell, P.R.|year=2016|title=''Xiphactinus audax'' Leidy, 1870 from the Puskwaskau Formation (Santonian to Campanian) of northwestern Alberta, Canada and the distribution of ''Xiphactinus'' in North America|journal=Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology|volume=1|issue=1|pages=89–100|doi=10.18435/B5H596|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Lionel Cavin |author2=Peter L. Forey |author3=Samuel Giersch |year=2013 |title=Osteology of ''Eubiodectes libanicus'' (Pictet & Humbert, 1866) and some other ichthyodectiformes (Teleostei): phylogenetic implications |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=115–177 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2012.691559 |s2cid=83807640 }}</ref> It is a member of the extinct order [[Ichthyodectiformes]], which represent close relatives of modern [[teleosts]].
'''''Xiphactinus''''' (from [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] for "[[sword]]-ray") is an [[Extinction (biology)|extinct]] genus of large ({{convert|5.1|m|ft|1}}<ref name=shimadaeverhart>Shimada, Kenshu, and Michael J. Everhart. "Shark-bitten Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes) from the Niobrara Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas." The Mosasaur 7 (2004): 35-39.</ref>) predatory marine [[Teleost|bony fish]] that lived during the [[Late Cretaceous]] ([[Albian]] to [[Maastrichtian]]).<ref name="sepkoskidb">{{cite journal|last=Sepkoski |first=Jack |title=A compendium of fossil marine animal genera |journal=[[Bulletins of American Paleontology]] |volume=364 |page=560 |date=2002 |url=http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |access-date=2009-02-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723131237/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged [[tarpon]].
 
The species ''Portheus molossus'' described by Cope is a [[junior synonym]] of ''X. audax''. Skeletal remains of ''Xiphactinus'' have come from the [[Carlile Shale]] and [[Greenhorn Limestone]] of [[Kansas]] (where the first ''Xiphactinus'' fossil was discovered during the 1850s in the [[Niobrara Chalk]]),<ref name="FWXiphactinus">[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=35308 ''Xiphactinus''] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref><ref name="comguide">{{cite book|last=Haines|first=Tim|title=The complete guide to prehistoric life|year=2005|publisher=Firefly Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|isbn=978-1-55407-181-4|edition=First|author2=Chambers, Paul|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781554071258/page/134 134]|quote=The first ''Xiphactinus'' fossil was found during the 1850s in Kansas.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781554071258/page/134}}</ref> and Cretaceous formations all over the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] (most notably [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], [[North Carolina]], and [[New Jersey]]) in the [[United States]],<ref name="FWXiphactinus" /><ref name=Schwimmeretal1997>{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/02724634.1997.10011007 |first1=David R. |last1=Schwimmer |first2=J. D. |last2=Stewart |first3=G. Dent |last3=Williams |year=1997 |title=''Xiphactinus vetus'' and the Distribution of ''Xiphactinus'' Species in the Eastern United States |journal=[[Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology]] |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=610–15 |jstor=4523841|bibcode=1997JVPal..17..610S }}</ref> as well as [[Europe]], [[Australia]],<ref>{{cite journal |title=Xiphactinus audax Leidy 1870 from the Puskwaskau Formation (Santonian to Campanian) of northwestern Alberta, Canada and the distribution of Xiphactinus in North America |journal=Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology |date=2016-02-04 |volume=1 |doi=10.18435/B5H596 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292983703|doi-access=free |last1=Vavrek |first1=Matthew J. |last2=Murray |first2=Alison M. |last3=Bell |first3=Phil R. |page=89 }}</ref> the [[Kanguk Formation|Kanguk]] and [[Ashville Formation]]s of [[Canada]],<ref name="FWXiphactinus" /> [[La Luna Formation]] of [[Venezuela]] and the [[Salamanca Formation]] in [[Argentina]].<ref name="FWXiphactinus" /><ref name=Julieta20>{{cite journal |title=First record of the ichthyodectiform fish Xiphactinus (Teleostei) from Patagonia, Argentina |journal=Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology |date=2020 |doi=10.1080/03115518.2019.1702221 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/03115518.2019.1702221?scroll=top&needAccess=true|last1=De Pasqua |first1=Julieta J. |last2=Agnolin |first2=Federico L. |last3=Bogan |first3=Sergio |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=327–331 |bibcode=2020Alch...44..327D |s2cid=216170146 }}</ref><ref>Carrillo-Briceño, J., Alvarado-Ortega, J. & Torres, C. (2012). [http://www.sbpbrasil.org/revista/edicoes/15_3/08_CarrilloBriceno_et_al.pdf Primer registro de ''Xiphactinus'' Leidy, 1870, (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes) en el Cretácico Superior de América del Sur (Formación La Luna, Venezuela)]. ''[[Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia]]'' 15(3):327-335</ref>
 
== Paleobiology ==
[[File:Xiphactinus by johnson mortimer-dae88nlaudax.jpgpng |thumb|Xiphactinusleft|Restoration of ''X. swimmingaudax'']]
{{multiple image|perrow = 1|total_width=300
[[File:Xiphactinus audax.png |thumb|left|''Xiphactinus audax'' restoration]]▼
| image1 = Xiphactinus fossil SI.jpg
[[File:Xiphactinus audax Sternberg Museum.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Gillicus arcuatus]]'' within the stomach of ''Xiphactinus audax'', [[George F. Sternberg]]'s most famous fossil find.]]
| image2 = Xiphactinus sp. with Gillicus sp. in its stomach (fossil fishes) (Niobrara Formation, Upper Cretaceous; Gove County, Kansas, USA) 2 (32938717214).jpg
Species of ''Xiphactinus'' were voracious predatory fish. At least a dozen specimens of ''X. audax'' have been collected with the remains of large, undigested or partially digested prey in their stomachs. In particular, one {{convert|4.2|m|ft|1}} fossil "'''Fish-Within-A-Fish'''" specimen was collected by [[George F. Sternberg]] with another, nearly perfectly preserved {{convert|1.9|m|ft}} long ichthyodectid ''[[Gillicus arcuatus]]'' inside of it. The larger fish apparently died soon after eating its prey, most likely owing to the smaller prey's struggling and rupturing an organ as it was being swallowed. This fossil is on display at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in [[Hays, Kansas]].<ref>Konishi, T., Newbrey, M. G., & Caldwell, M. W. (2014). A small, exquisitely preserved specimen of ''Mosasaurus missouriensis'' (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of the Bearpaw Formation, western Canada, and the first stomach contents for the genus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34(4), 802–819. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.838573</ref>▼
| image3 = Xiphactinus in Denver Museum.jpg
| footer = Several ''Xiphactinus'' skeletons are preserved with the fish ''[[Gillicus arcuatus]]'' swallowed whole.
}}
 
▲Species of ''Xiphactinus'' were voracious predatory fish. At least a dozen specimens of ''X. audax'' have been collected with the remains of large, undigested or partially digested prey in their stomachs. In particular, one {{convert|4.2|m|ft|1}} fossil "'''Fish-Within-A-Fish'''" specimen was collected by [[George F. Sternberg]] with another, nearly perfectly preserved {{convert|1.9|m|ft}} long ichthyodectid ''[[Gillicus arcuatus]]'' inside of it. The larger fish apparently died soon after eating its prey, most likely owing to the smaller prey's struggling and rupturing an organ as it was being swallowed. This fossil is on display at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in [[Hays, Kansas]].<ref>Konishi, T., Newbrey, M. G., & Caldwell, M. W. (2014). A small, exquisitely preserved specimen of ''Mosasaurus missouriensis'' (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of the Bearpaw Formation, western Canada, and the first stomach contents for the genus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34(4), 802–819. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.838573</ref>
Like many other species in the Late Cretaceous oceans, a dead or injured individual was likely to be scavenged by sharks (''[[Cretoxyrhina]]'' and ''[[Squalicorax]]''). The remains of a ''Xiphactinus'' were found within a large specimen of ''[[Cretoxyrhina]]'' collected by Charles H. Sternberg. The specimen is on display at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History.▼
 
▲Like many other species in the Late Cretaceous oceans, a dead or injured individual was likely to be scavenged by sharks (''[[Cretoxyrhina]]'' and ''[[Squalicorax]]''). The remains of a ''Xiphactinus'' were found within a large specimen of ''[[Cretoxyrhina]]'' collected by Charles H. Sternberg. The specimen is on display at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History.
Virtually nothing is known about the larval or juvenile stages. The smallest fossil specimen of ''X. audax'' consists of a tooth-bearing [[premaxilla]] and lower jaws of an individual estimated to be about {{convert|12|in|cm}} long.<ref>[http://www.oceansofkansas.com/Xiphactinus/XIPHJUV1.jpg "''Xiphactinus Audax''"] (JPG). oceansofkansas.com.</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=February 2011}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2011}}
[[File:Xiphactinus - head detail.jpg|thumb|Detailed view of the skull of ''Xiphactinus'' at the [[American Museum of Natural History]]]]
 
Like modern tarpons, ''Xiphactinus'' likely spent its juvenile stage of life in shallow seaway margins for protection and to utilize rich food resources, possibly rare in open marine water, though this needs confirmation due to the lack of shallow, nearshore deposits from the [[Western Interior Seaway]]. The teeth of the juvenile specimen indicate that the diet of ''Xiphactinus'' probably didn't change notably during its growth, implying that even the small specimens would have been fish-eating predators.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=James L. King |author2=Kristopher J. Super |year=2019 |title=The smallest recorded specimen of ''Xiphactinus audax'' from the Niobrara Chalk of Kansas and its implications for juvenile ichthyodectid ecology |journal=Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=441–445 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2019.1623212 |s2cid=191146942 }}</ref>
The species and all other ichthyodectids became extinct near the end of the [[Late Cretaceous]] – see [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]].
 
An incomplete [[skull]] of what may be a new species of ''Xiphactinus'' was found in 2002 in the [[Czech Republic]], in a small town called [[Šachov]] next to [[Borohrádek]] city, by then 16-year-old student Michal Matějka.<ref>http://www.mestoborohradek.cz/file.php?nid=428&oid=5254456 {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
 
In July 2010 the bones of a ''Xiphactinus'' were discovered near Morden, Manitoba, Canada. The specimen was about {{convert|18|-|20|ft|m}} long and was found with the flipper of a [[mosasaur]] between its jaws.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030243/http://discoverfossils.com/documents/press-release-fossil-find-july-2010.pdf "Major Fossil Discovery Underway in Morden"] (PDF). Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre. July 16, 2010. Press release.</ref>
 
== "Unicerosaurus" ==
[[File:Ichthyodectidae1.jpg|thumb|''Xiphactinus'' compared to other [[Ichthyodectidae|ichthyodectids]]]]▼
In 1982, a former Baptist minister, [[Carl Baugh]], began excavations on the limestone beds of the [[Paluxy River]], near [[Glen Rose, Texas]], famous for its dinosaur tracks. Some of the tracks resembled human footprints and had been proclaimed since 1900 as evidence that dinosaurs and modern humans had once lived alongside one another. Scientists' investigations found the supposed human footprints to be "forms of elongate dinosaur tracks, while others were selectively highlighted erosional markings, and still others (on loose blocks) probable carvings." While excavating, he found a solitary "Y-shaped" fossil that he informally called '''"Unicerosaurus"'''. In a 1987 popular article, John Armstrong described the fossil as a "Y-shaped petrified bone that appears to be the neural spine from a huge fish like the ''Portheus'' of [[Niobrara Chalk]]" that Baugh's museum "declared to be the forehead horn of a newly discovered dinosaur genus".<ref>Armstrong, John R. (1987). Creation/Evolution Newsletter 7 5:21; Geolog. 16, Part 4.</ref> The museum's exhibit told visitors that the "horn" belonged to "the [[unicorn]] of Job 38, one of three dinosaurs mentioned in Scripture; the others being behemoth and leviathan of Job 40 and 41", and that the horn was able to fold back like the blade of a jack knife. Although some Young Earth Creationists shared Baugh's interpretations of the biblical [[Behemoth]] and [[Leviathan]], Baugh's claims were not taken seriously either by Christian organizations or the scientific community.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
 
== In popular culture ==
▲[[File:Ichthyodectidae1.jpg|thumb|left|''Xiphactinus'' compared to other [[Ichthyodectidae|ichthyodectids]]]]
In October 2010, Kansas House Rep. Tom Sloan (R-Lawrence) announced that he would introduce legislation to make ''Xiphactinus audax'', a.k.a. the "X-fish", the state fossil of Kansas.<ref>{{cite web|agency=Associated Press |url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/oct/26/kansas-rep-tom-sloan-agrees-back-x-fish-states-off/ |title=Kansas Rep. Tom Sloan agrees to back X-fish as state's official fossil / LJWorld.com |publisher=.ljworld.com |date=2010-10-26 |access-date=2011-10-12}}</ref>▼
▲[[File:Xiphactinus audax.png jpg|thumb|left|Depiction of a ''Xiphactinus audax'' restorationswallowing a ''[[Gillicus]]'']]
▲In October 2010, Kansas House Rep. Tom Sloan (R-Lawrence) announced that he would introduce legislation to make ''Xiphactinus audax'', a.k.a. the "X-fish", the state fossil of [[Kansas]].<ref>{{cite web|agency=Associated Press |url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/oct/26/kansas-rep-tom-sloan-agrees-back-x-fish-states-off/ |title=Kansas Rep. Tom Sloan agrees to back X-fish as state's official fossil / LJWorld.com |publisher=.ljworld.com |date=2010-10-26 |access-date=2011-10-12}}</ref> Ultimately, ''[[Tylosaurus]]'' was selected instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/state-fossils/18626 | title=State Fossils - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fossilera.com/pages/state-fossils#kansas | title= List of State Fossils | access-date= September 1, 2015 | work= State Symbols, State Fossil | publisher= Fossilera}}</ref>
 
== Notes==
{{notelist}}
 
== References ==
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== External links ==
{{Commons category|Xiphactinus}}
* [http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/jurassic/fctxipha.htm Carnegie Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041114045033/http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/jurassic/fctxipha.htm |date=2004-11-14 }}
{{Portal|Paleontology|Fish}}▼
* [http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/jurassic/fctxipha.htm Carnegie Museum]
* [http://www.oceansofkansas.com/xiphac.html Oceans of Kansas]
* [http://homepages.dordt.edu/~mahaffy/paleo/fish/xiphactinus.html a painting and information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928063622/http://homepages.dordt.edu/~mahaffy/paleo/fish/xiphactinus.html |date=2007-09-28 }}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/seamonsters/factfiles/xiphactinus.shtml BBC]
* [http://www.discoverfossils.com/documents/press-release-fossil-find-july-2010.pdf Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710132703/http://www.discoverfossils.com/documents/press-release-fossil-find-july-2010.pdf |date=2011-07-10 }}
 
{{Ichthyodectiformes}}
{{Teleosteomorpha|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|fromfrom1=Q131444|from2=Q55518957|from3=Q41168664}}
▲{{Portal bar|Paleontology|Fish|Marine life}}
 
[[Category:IchthyodectidaeIchthyodectiformes]]
[[Category:Marine fish genera]]
[[Category:Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera]]
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[[Category:Fossils of the United States]]
[[Category:Cretaceous fish of Europe]]
[[Category:PrehistoricCretaceous fish of Australia]]
[[Category:PrehistoricLate Cretaceous fish of South America]]
[[Category:Cretaceous Venezuela]]
[[Category:Fossils of Venezuela]]
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[[Category:Taxa named by Joseph Leidy]]
[[Category:Cretaceous Argentina]]
[[Category:Golfo San Jorge Basin]]
[[Category:Salamanca Formation]]
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