Preview
Identifier
sa_fp_005_017
Description
This black and white photograph features a Portheus Molossus fossil. This fossil is in a frame with a description on a card inside the frame.
Physical Description
Black and white photograph print
Keywords
Fossils, Specimens, Measurement, Prehistoric life, Museum Exhibits, Paleontology
Rights
© University Archives, Fort Hays State University
Publisher
Digitized by Forsyth Digital Collections
Collection
Recommended Citation
"Portheus Molossus Fossil" (2021). Sternberg Photograph Collection. 26.
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sternberg_photos/26
Language
eng
Transcription
Portheus Molussus The large fish known as Portheus was not uncommon in the Cretaceous ocean and the skeletons of these, the largest of all bony fish, reached a length of 16 feet or more. They were very much like the modern Tarpon, which inhabits our oceans today, being covered with large scales and having a broad expanded tail. In the premaxillae one or more large fang-like teeth projects downward, while the dentaries are deep and provided with a single row of teeth, very irregular in size the largest of these are deeply set in the jaws. It is thought that from the size of the jaws and powerful dentition that they rivaled the smaller of the moasasaurs in ferocity and strength, if not the larger ones. The orbital cavity is large and the orbit is surrounded by a heavy sclerotic ring.
Keywords
Fossils, Specimens, Measurement, Prehistoric life, Museum Exhibits, Paleontology
Comments
For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu