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Title: Macroborings in Otodus megalodon and Otodus chubutensis shark teeth from the submerged shelf of Onslow Bay, North Carolina, USA: implications for processes of lag deposit formation
Award ID(s):
1830581
PAR ID:
10184990
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Ichnos
Volume:
27
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1042-0940
Page Range / eLocation ID:
122 to 141
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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  1. Abstract Diet is a crucial trait of an animal’s lifestyle and ecology. The trophic level of an organism indicates its functional position within an ecosystem and holds significance for its ecology and evolution. Here, we demonstrate the use of zinc isotopes (δ 66 Zn) to geochemically assess the trophic level in diverse extant and extinct sharks, including the Neogene megatooth shark ( Otodus megalodon ) and the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ). We reveal that dietary δ 66 Zn signatures are preserved in fossil shark tooth enameloid over deep geologic time and are robust recorders of each species’ trophic level. We observe significant δ 66 Zn differences among the Otodus and Carcharodon populations implying dietary shifts throughout the Neogene in both genera. Notably, Early Pliocene sympatric C. carcharias and O. megalodon appear to have occupied a similar mean trophic level, a finding that may hold clues to the extinction of the gigantic Neogene megatooth shark. 
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