Cretoxyrhina is an extinct genus of the order Lamniformes of mackerel sharks. Living in subtropical and temperate oceans worldwide about 107 to 73 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous, Cretoxyrhina was one of the largest sharks of its time, 8 meters (26 ft) in length, and also among the fastest, with estimated burst speeds of up to 70 km/h (43 mph). It was an apex predator, preying on sharks and other large fish, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and occasionally dinosaurs. Thanks to numerous discoveries of exceptionally well-preserved skeletons during the 19th and 20th centuries, the type species, C. mantelli, is one of the best-understood extinct sharks. These fossils show that it may have had a lifespan of up to forty years and a general build similar to the modern great white shark, but with facial and optical features similar to those of thresher sharks and crocodile sharks. Its ability to function in cold water was probably enhanced by regional endothermy.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretoxyrhina
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1791:
Northwest Indian War: In the most severe defeat ever suffered by U.S. forces at the hands of Native Americans, the Western Confederacy won a major victory at the Battle of the Wabash near present-day Fort Recovery in Ohio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair%27s_defeat
1912:
The keel of USS Nevada was laid down, beginning construction on the first "super-dreadnought" of the United States Navy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nevada_%28BB-36%29
1964:
Ayatollah Khomeini was arrested by SAVAK and secretly exiled to Turkey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini%27s_life_in_exile
1995:
Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by ultranationalist Yigal Amir while at a peace rally at Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Yitzhak_Rabin
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
othering: (philosophy, politics) gerund of other: the process of perceiving or portraying someone or something as essentially alien or different. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/othering
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. --Will Rogers https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Will_Rogers