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The great white shark stands as one of the most terrifying and ferocious creatures in our era. They are apex predators and can only be challenged by certain specific animal species.
In fact, the only animal species that poses a threat to a mature great white shark is the killer whale. However, accomplishing this feat requires an entire pod of killer whales.
Nevertheless, in the past, our planet also harbored a fish species large and powerful enough to bite a large white shark in half.
Dunkleosteus terrelli is an extinct fish species belonging to the Dunkleosteus genus. All 10 species within this genus are characterized by large jaws and bodies resembling armored tanks, yet Dunkleosteus terrelli stands out among them. It is the largest species in the genus and one of the largest armored fish ever discovered by humans.
Although there are varying reports regarding the size of this prehistoric creature, it is estimated to have been about 8.8 to 10 meters long. Dunkleosteus terrelli also weighed nearly 4 tons, making it one of the largest fish species to ever exist. This gigantic fish is classified as a placoderm, a group of prehistoric armored fish.
In 1956, Dunkleosteus was named to honor David Dunkle, an American paleontologist. Dunkleosteus combines “Dunkle” and the Greek word “ὀστέον” meaning “bone.”
David Dunkle worked at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and later at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where his work focused on fossil fish, gaining him recognition.
Fossils indicate Dunkleosteus terrelli lived in various locations in Europe and the United States. Some states where fossils were found include Ohio, Tennessee, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Additionally, other states such as New York, Washington, and Illinois have exhibited Dunkleosteus terrelli fossils.
It's believed this species inhabited shallow waters when young, transitioning to deeper sea locations as adults, a characteristic shared by other placoderm fish.
While scientists believe Dunkleosteus terrelli was a strong swimmer, its heavy armor would have slowed it down. However, many other placoderm or armored fish adapted to swift swimming in surface and deep ocean waters. Thus, while estimations can be made based on available evidence, Dunkleosteus terrelli may have been a strong and agile swimmer.
Without strong swimming abilities, it would starve as it couldn't hunt larger prey it consumed. When young, Dunkleosteus terrelli would prey on small sharks. But as it matured, its diet expanded to larger prey. Research indicates its jaws became stronger and wider with age, enhancing its hunting capabilities.
Dunkleosteus terrelli, a fearsome predator, hunted large prey such as ammonites and even other armored fish. Despite its formidable appetite, scientists believe it didn't digest the bones but regurgitated them instead.
Similar to many contemporary fish species, Dunkleosteus terrelli lacked typical teeth. Instead, it possessed four sharp bony plates arranged in pairs. These plates would grind against each other, functioning like self-sharpening mechanisms. Together, they resembled serrated blades, capable of tearing prey into pieces.
Due to its dental structure, Dunkleosteus terrelli could open its mouth rapidly and clamp down on prey with immense force. Furthermore, numerous researchers, such as Philip SL Anderson and Mark W. Westneat, suggest a connection between the feeding behavior of Dunkleosteus terrelli and the feeding mechanisms of modern suction-feeding species.
According to a paper published by both researchers, this giant fish had a highly kinetic skull with a four-bar linkage mechanism. This enabled Dunkleosteus terrelli to rapidly open its jaws, resulting in rapid expansion phases commonly seen in modern suction-feeding fish.
Studies estimate that Dunkleosteus terrelli had a bite force equivalent to its body weight (nearly 4 tons) per square inch at the tip of its serrated teeth. But that's not all: some parts within its jaws exerted a jaw-dropping bite force of approximately 40 tons per square inch.
This surpasses by far the biting force of saltwater crocodiles, often hailed as the strongest biters among all extant creatures - the biting force of saltwater crocodiles is limited to about 1.6 tons per square inch, which is less than half the bite force of Dunkleosteus terrelli.
With such biting force, one might wonder, 'Could Dunkleosteus terrelli overpower a large great white shark?'. According to experts, it's entirely possible.
Mark Westneat, curator of fishes at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois - one of the museums exhibiting Dunkleosteus terrelli fossils. In an interview with Live Science, he expressed his belief that a Dunkleosteus terrelli could have taken on a large 6-meter-long great white shark. His confidence stems from a shark jaw model he and project leader Philip Anderson constructed.
Anderson, who works in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, also asserts that Dunkleosteus terrelli obliterated everything in its environment. Many scientists and paleontologists regard Dunkleosteus terrelli as the apex predator, a depiction that cleverly portrays its power. It was one of the earliest apex predators and remained so until extinction.
Unfortunately, Dunkleosteus terrelli went extinct about 359 million years ago. It wasn't wiped out by any particular species but succumbed to the effects of the mass extinction event triggered by the Hangenberg Event. The Hangenberg Event caused a drastic drop in oceanic oxygen levels, wiping out over 70% of all species on Earth.
