Stratodus

Stratodus is a genus of giant prehistoric aulopiform fish found in Cretaceous-aged marine strata of Kansas,[1] Alabama,[2] Morocco,[3] Israel,[4] and Niger,[5] South Dakota,[6] Jordan.

[7] It has also been found in the Tamaguélelt Formation of Mali, dating to the Lower Eocene, indicating that Stratodus survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

[8] This sleek fish has an upper jaw filled with multiple rows of tiny teeth and was the largest aulopiform, reaching 5 meters in length.

While modern aulopiformes are often ambush predators, Stratodus appears capable of active hunting, owing to a muscular and hydrodynamic body, and swam in an anguilliform-esque fashion.

In the Eocene, Stratodus inhabited brackish-to-marine tropical waters in the Trans-Saharan Seaway, living alongside animals like Palaeophis colossaeus and Rhabdognathus.