Multiple species within this genus are considered to be wastebasket taxon due to morphological similarities in the teeth.

The name Squalicorax is derived from the Latin squalus for shark and the Greek κόραξ, "korax" for raven.

The largest specimen of S. pristodontus, SDSM 47683, was signigicantly larger, measuring up to 4.8 metres (16 ft) long.

[5] Other food sources included turtles, mosasaurs, ichthyodectids, and other bony fishes and sea creatures.

[6] The following are the best studied American species for which relatively complete skeletons are described: The world's largest and most complete semiarticulated fossil of Squalicorax was found in 2014 in stores of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba, in Canada, where it is now displayed.