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Xiphactinus
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<p><i>Xiphactinus</i> is an <a href="/facts/Extinction_(biology)/24p5NP2q">extinct</a> genus of large predatory marine <a href="/facts/Ray-finned_fish/3PNaXXmJ">ray-finned fish</a> that lived during the late <a href="/facts/Albian/faHcmHDC">Albian</a> to the late <a href="/facts/Maastrichtian/xRBafamu">Maastrichtian</a>. The genus grew up to 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) in length, and superficially resembled a gargantuan, fanged <a href="/facts/Tarpon/gkXWjv6R">tarpon</a>. It is a member of the extinct order <a href="/facts/Ichthyodectiformes/mR1PCnPR">Ichthyodectiformes</a>, which represent close relatives of modern <a href="/facts/Teleosts/1YULPGW5">teleosts</a>. </p><p>The species <i>Portheus molossus</i> described by Cope is a <a href="/facts/Junior_synonym/BHLdox7E">junior synonym</a> of <i>X. audax</i>. Skeletal remains of <i>Xiphactinus</i> have come from the <a href="/facts/Carlile_Shale/5GIePqW4">Carlile Shale</a> and <a href="/facts/Greenhorn_Limestone/R7zUcLeb">Greenhorn Limestone</a> of <a href="/facts/Kansas/koenIXmE">Kansas</a> (where the first <i>Xiphactinus</i> fossil was discovered during the 1850s in the <a href="/facts/Niobrara_Chalk/n1El1Adx">Niobrara Chalk</a>), and Cretaceous formations all over the <a href="/facts/East_Coast_of_the_United_States/vrKUc0Wl">East Coast</a> (most notably <a href="/facts/Georgia_(U.S._state)/KKnTDY6F">Georgia</a>, <a href="/facts/Alabama/1Xk8EveN">Alabama</a>, <a href="/facts/North_Carolina/VhKNTULI">North Carolina</a>, and <a href="/facts/New_Jersey/pI5k19S7">New Jersey</a>) in the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>, as well as <a href="/facts/Europe/DTAtrKfh">Europe</a>, <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>, the <a href="/facts/Kanguk_Formation/f1nGsPjG">Kanguk</a> and <a href="/facts/Ashville_Formation/eYsuYH7S">Ashville Formations</a> of <a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a>, La Luna Formation of <a href="/facts/Venezuela/eX1qnkln">Venezuela</a> and the <a href="/facts/Salamanca_Formation/3Ne3H5jE">Salamanca Formation</a> in <a href="/facts/Argentina/aFSA5bAk">Argentina</a>. </p>