A Nearly Complete Skull of Enchodus ferox (Actinopterygii, Aulopiformes) from the Upper Cretaceous Ripley Formation of Lowndes County, Alabama.

Remains of the aulopiform bony fish Enchodus are very often the most common vertebrate fossils recovered from Late Cretaceous marine deposits around the world, especially in North America. Yet, those remains rarely consist of anything other than isolated dermopalatine bones and teeth. Here we report the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved Enchodus ferox skull in a phosphatic concretion from the lower Ripley Formation (lower Maastrichtian) of Alabama. The specimen is significant because it preserves most of the cranial elements in their original, articulated positions. The specimen reveals characteristics that appear to be common to the genus including a robust skull with massive preoperculars and maxillae, large metapterygoids, fusion of the dentaries to the articulars, and paired sclerotic rings. The enlarged dermopalatine bones and "fangs" are not visible, but are likely preserved within the concretion, suggesting that they may be positioned more medially and posteriorly in the oral cavity than is sometimes depicted. The morphology suggests a specialized feeding behavior and prey, with the enlarged dermopalatine and mandible teeth being well adapted for piercing, holding, and aligning straight cephalopods for most efficient ingestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]