The Early Pliocene extinction of the mega-toothed shark : a view from the eastern North Pacific.

The extinct giant shark is the last member of the predatory megatoothed lineage and is reported from Neogene sediments from nearly all continents. The timing of the extinction of is thought to be Pliocene, although reports of Pleistocene teeth fuel speculation that may still be extant. The longevity of the lineage (Paleocene to Pliocene) and its conspicuous absence in the modern fauna begs the question: when and why did this giant shark become extinct? Addressing this question requires a densely sampled marine vertebrate fossil record in concert with a robust geochronologic framework.