Ichthyodectes sp.
Ichthyodectes was one of several gigantic fish living in the late Cretaceous waters of the western Interior Sea. It grew to a length of 12 feet or so. it would have been a formidable predator but itself preyed upon by even bigger fish, Mosasaurs and sharks. Fine well preserved complete vertebra.
Cretaceous, Coniacian / Santonian, Niobrara Formation, Smoky Hills Chalk.
Gove County, Kansas, USA,
Vertebra : 5 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm.
