Onchopristis

Onchopristis is an extinct genus of giant sawskate that lived during the Cretaceous of North Africa, Europe, and North America. It is probably the most well-known sclerorhynchoid.

Onchopristis numida

Throughout the years, people thought Onchopristis was a ginormous sawfish. However, studies show that this is not the case. It is on the menu for the Spinosaurus.

Onchopristis was named by Ernst Stromer in 1917. Although the spelling "Onchopristis numidus" is commonly used, it is grammatically incorrect and the name of the species is literally Onchopristis numida.

The two species of Onchopristis are Onchopristis numida and Onchopristis dunklei.

Etymology

Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek ónkos (ὄγκος, 'barb') and prístis (πρίστις, 'saw' or 'sawfish').

Description

As mentioned earlier, Onchopristis was a large sawskate from the Cretaceous. This beast had a long rostrum with a few denticles. Its snout was used to impale prey or cut them do their death.

Classification

• Onchopristis numida Haug, 1905 (type species)
• Onchopristis dunklei McNulty and Slaughter, 1962

Some images

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  Axelrodichthys and Onchopristis
• 
  Onchopristis tooth
• 
  Onchopristis vertebrae

Related pages

• Triggerfish
• Baharipristis
• Cimolichthys
• Pleuropholidae
• Balistomorphus
• List of prehistoric bony fish genera

References

1. Hunt, R.K.; Santucci, V.L.; Kenworthy, J. (2006). "A preliminary inventory of fossil fish from National Park Service units". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 34: 63–69.
2. Haug, E. (1905). Documents scientifiques de la mission saharienne, mission Foureau-Lamy d'Alger au Congo par le Tchad. Fascicule 3. Paris: Masson. pp. 751–832.
3. "What is the maximum size potential for an Onchopristis if it were alive today?". Quora.
4. "Onchopristis Numidus Fossil Sawfish For Sale". Fossil Age Minerals.
5. Villalobos-Segura, E.; Kriwet, J.; Vullo, R.; Stumpf, S.; Ward, D.J.; Underwood, C.J. (2021). "The skeletal remains of the euryhaline sclerorhynchoid †Onchopristis (Elasmobranchii) from the 'Mid'-Cretaceous and their palaeontological implications". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 193 (2): 746–771.
6. Thurmond, J.T. (1971). "Cartilaginous fishes of the Trinity Group and related rocks (Lower Cretaceous) of north central Texas" (PDF). Southeastern Geology. 13 (4): 207–227.
7. Stromer, E. (1927). "Ergebnisse der Forschungsreisen Prof. E. Stromers in den Wüsten Ägyptens. II. Wirbeltierreste der Baharîje-Stufe (unterstes Cenoman). 9. Die Plagiostomen mit einem Anhang über käno- und mesozoische Rückenflossenstacheln von Elasmobranchiern" (PDF). Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Abteilung. 31 (5): 1–64.