[Animals] They discover a strange shark with manta ray fins that inhabited Mexico 90 million years ago

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The eagle shark lived during the last years of the age of the dinosaurs in the seas of Mexico, thanks to its unusual fins.
The seas of the Cretaceous period in Mexico were dominated by a predator with fins that looked like wings: the eagle shark.

95 million years ago, a shark with the characteristics of a manta ray roamed the salty waters of the tropics, according to a recent paleontological finding.

Eagle shark: a gentle animal

According to a recent article published by The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the eagle shark (Aquilolamna milarca) was a creature with an elongated and elegant physiognomy.

Unlike other animals with which it coexisted, it may have been one of the most gentle predators of its time.

The paleontologists in charge of the research project first noticed its dimensions in 2012, when the fossil remains of this prehistoric animal were found in a limestone quarry in Mexico. When studying the bones embedded there, they realized that it was a species never before studied by science.

Despite its size, it is possible that this shark fed only on plankton. It is known that he lived towards the end of the age of the dinosaurs. However, its most notable feature was its prominent pectoral fins, which set it apart from other marine predators.

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Characteristics and proportions of the prehistoric shark

The unusual proportions of the eagle shark caught the attention of scientists. From head to tail, it is estimated that it could have measured more than a meter and a half. The tip-to-tip distance between the fins, in contrast, was almost two meters.

If compared to the megalodon, this animal could be rather smaller, since other species of prehistoric sharks reached 9 meters in length.

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However, the eagle shark's pectoral fins—coordinated with a wide head and mouth—suggest that it may have been related in some way to modern-day manta rays.

According to the researchers, this now-extinct species had slow swimming patterns. From the fossils, it is thought that it used its caudal fin to propel itself, and the pectoral ones to maneuver between marine currents. Currently, there is no evidence that the species persists in Mexican seas.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/tiburon-aguila-descubierto-en-mexico/