1.4" Xiphactinus Audax Fossil Vertebrae Cretaceous Era Fish Niobrara FM Kansas

Location: Niobrara Formation, Gove County, Kansas

Weight: 0.5 Ounces 

Dimensions: 1.4 Inches Long, 0.9 Inches Wide, 0.7 Inches Thick

Late Cretaceous, 83 million years old

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

This is a real fossil

Xiphactinus Audax was one of the largest bony fish of the Late Cretaceous and among the most fearsome predators to patrol ancient seas. Growing up to 17 feet (5 meters) in length, it powered through surface waters with its muscular tail and broad, winglike pectoral fins. Its upturned jaw, bristling with giant fanglike teeth, gave it a bulldog-like appearance and made short work of unlucky fish or unsuspecting seabirds that strayed into its path.

Even smaller individuals—around 13 feet (4 meters) long—could open their jaws wide enough to swallow prey nearly half their size, such as six-foot (2-meter) fish, in a single gulp. Fossil evidence even preserves entire victims inside its ribcage. Yet despite its ferocity, Xiphactinus was not untouchable; it occasionally fell victim to the even larger shark Cretoxyrhina.

This formidable hunter thrived in the Western Interior Seaway, a vast inland ocean that stretched across much of central North America during the Cretaceous period. If it were alive today, Xiphactinus would resemble a massive, fanged tarpon—sleek, fast, and utterly terrifying.