Cardabiodon

Cardabiodon Temporal range: Cenomanian-Turonian, 95–91 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ [1]
Holotype and paratype teeth of Cardabiodon venator from the Fairport Member of the Carlile Shale in Mosby, Montana.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Lamniformes
Family:	†Cardabiodontidae
Genus:	†Cardabiodon Siverson, 1999
Type species
†Cardabiodon ricki Siverson, 1999
Species
† C. ricki Siverson, 1999 (type) † C. venator Siverson & Lindgren, 2005
Synonyms
Pseudoisurus tomosus Glückman, 1957 Cretolamna woodwardi Herman, 1977

Cardabiodon (/ˌkɑːrdəbaɪəˈdɒn/; meaning 'Cardabia tooth') is an extinct genus of large mackerel shark that lived about 95 to 91 million years ago (Ma) during the Cenomanian to Turonian of the Late Cretaceous. It is a member of the Cardabiodontidae, a family unique among mackerel sharks due to differing dental structures, and contains the two species C. ricki and C. venator. Cardabiodon fossils have been found in Australia, North America, England, and Kazakhstan. It was likely an antitropical shark that inhabited temperate neritic and offshore oceans between 40° and 60° paleolatitude, similar to the modern porbeagle shark.

One of the largest sharks of its time, Cardabiodon has been estimated to measure up to 5.5 metres (18 ft) in length. It may have been an apex predator in its ecosystem and likely used its large, robust teeth and fast swimming capabilities to prey on a variety of marine animals including plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and other large fish. Cardabiodon also had a very heavy and stocky body. Scientists have been partially successful in calculating the life history of the shark. At birth, Cardabiodon individuals measured between 41–76 centimetres (16–30 in) in length and reached sexual maturity at around five to seven years of age, but no conclusive estimates on the maximum lifespan of Cardabiodon have been made.