Isurus desori

Isurus desori, commonly known as the Desori mako shark or Desori shark, is an extinct species of mako shark, that lived in the Early Oligocene and Middle Miocene, between 32.5 and 12.1 million years ago. It measured 4.2 m (14 ft) long.

Isurus desori Temporal range: Early Oligocene-Middle Miocene, 32.5–12.1 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Teeth in Natural History Museum, London.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Division:	Selachii
Order:	Lamniformes
Family:	Lamnidae
Genus:	Isurus
Species:	†I. desori
Binomial name
†Isurus desori (Agassiz, 1843)[1]
Synonyms
Oxyrhina desori Agassiz, 1843

Diet

The Isurus desori hunted squids, fish and marine mammals. The fossil of I. desori was discovered in the Chesapeake Bay region.^[2]

Taxonomy

Isurus desori belongs to the family Lamnidae in the genus Isurus, and it is believed that it was the ancestor of the present-day mako shark (I. oxyrinchus). It is believed to be related to Cosmopolitodus hastalis and Carcharodon plicatilis as well.^[3]

Scientists believe that I. desori it evolved into the only two contemporary species, I. paucus and I. oxyrinchus, the only surviving species of the genus Isurus. It was once believed that I. desori belonged to the genus Oxyrhina, which is now considered a likely invalid or doubtful genus.^{[citation needed]} Some paleontologist suggest that I. desori is a junior synonym of I. oxyrinchus.