''Galeocerdo'' is a genus of

ground shark Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the solid terrestrial surface of the Earth * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical circ ...

. Only a single species, ''G. cuvier'', the

tiger shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus '' Galeocerdo'' and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large apex predator, with females capable of attaining a length of over . Popula ...

, is extant. The earliest fossils date back to the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch, (

Ypresian In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

), around 56–47.8 Million years ago. While historically considered a member of the requiem shark family Carcharhinidae, it is currently considered to be the only member of the family Galeocerdonidae. While this genus was historically considered diverse, including 21 extinct species, morphometric analysis conducted in 2021 suggested that the diversity of the genus included only 5 extinct species (including the Eocene †''G. clarkensis'' and †''G. eaglesomei'',

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

-late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

†''G. aduncus'', Miocene †''G. mayumbensis'', and

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58

Species

Species historically considered valid in the genus ''Galeocerdo'' include: * †'' Galeocerdo aduncus'' * †'' Galeocerdo alabamensis'' * †'' Galeocerdo clarkensis'' * '' Galeocerdo cuvier'' * †'' Galeocerdo denticulatus'' * †'' Galeocerdo eaglesomi'' * †'' Galeocerdo gibberulus'' * †''

Galeocerdo latidens ''Galeocerdo latidens'' is extinct species of tiger shark, that lived during the Paleocene and Miocene, Middle Miocene periods, from 59.2 to 11.608 millions years ago. The species lived in North America, Europe, Africa, and Russia. Taxonomy '' ...

'' * †'' Galeocerdo mayumbensis'' * †'' Galeocerdo minor'' * †'' Galeocerdo mixtus'' * †'' Galeocerdo productus''

References

{{Authority control Shark genera Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller Taxa named by Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle Fish genera with one living species