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Onchopristis numidus was a type of large sawfish that lived during the Upper Cretaceous (Albian Stage-106 million years ago), in or near North Africa. It had a very long shovel-shaped snout, or rostrum, with hooked or barbed teeth lining both sides.
Onchopristis would have been more closely related to rays than sharks. Its size has been estimated to have been about 26 feet, with about 6-8 feet of its length dedicated to its rostrum. The rostrum was equipped with sensory organs for detecting prey. After the prey was detected Onchopristis would slash its rostrum back and forth to impale its victims on the barbed spikes. These weapons would have been very useful in its bottom dwelling environment.
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Chondrichthys, Order: Pristiformes, Family: Pristidae, Genus: Onchopristis, Species: numidus.
Onchopristis numidus
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