Otodus chubutensis

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/otodus-chubutensis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is Otodus chubutensis?Up to 13.5 meters (44 feet)
2. What is the scientific name?Otodus chubutensis
3. What is the habitat?Global oceans during the Miocene epoch
4. How big were its teeth?Its teeth could be more than 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) long. They were large, triangular, and had sharp edges to cut through big animals.
5. When did it live?Otodus chubutensis lived during the Early to Middle Miocene, about 23 to 11.6 million years ago. Some scientists think it might have lived even earlier.

Paleontology: The scientific study of fossils and ancient life.
Phylogenetic placement: Determining the evolutionary relationships and classification of an organism.
Cetaceans: A group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Pinnipeds: A group of marine mammals that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses.