by Enoch, William, and T.J. from Brookwood Middle School

The Xiphactinus (Zy – fack – ti – nus) translates to the sword ray. Xiphactinus is a prehistoric fish that swims deep below sea level and will eat virtually anything.

Xiphactinus lived in prehistoric North America, Western Europe, and Australia. They were about twenty feet long (three meters) and anywhere from five hundred to one thousand pounds. Xiphactini (plural) lived during the cretaceous period.

Xiphactinus is very large in body size. It also has a very slender, bony body. It was a predatory fish, and it also ate all different kinds of fish. Its teeth are its main weapon. The teeth are fascinating. The most distinctive features are its prominent teeth with a distinctive under bite. Each toot hare was about the size of a quarter. The Xiphactinus has a dark blue back and white belly for camouflage. It also has sharp teeth with a strong tail making it a great pursuit hunter.

Fossils of Xiphactinus have been found in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Europe, Australia, and Canada. So as you can probably tell there have been fossils found all over the world. This suggests that it had lived all over the world. One time a fossil of a Gillicas was found inside a fossil of a Xiphactinus. It was thought that the Xiphactinus died from the struggling Gillicas inside the Xiphactinus causing internal injuries.

More Information

Video

Watch this video about Xiphactinus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhTayGIp3tk

About Alabama Museum of Natural History Beacons

This physical web project was originally developed by students at Brookwood Middle School in conjunction with the Alabama Museum of Natural History. This partnership allowed BMS students to get real world experience in web design, research, and project development.