Marcas de ataque atribuidas a un seláceo en una vértebra de mosasaurio del Cretácico Superior de Álava (región Vasco-Cantábrica)

A caudal vertebra of mosasaur (Squamata) showing puncture marks, coming from the Late Cretaceous of the Basque-Cantabrian Region, is described. The specimen was recovered from marly beds of the Vitoria Formation in Jáuregui, Álava (late Campanian). The shape of the marks closely resembles those of typical shark bite marks with cutting-type dentition (or tending towards this model). The occurrence in the same formation of isolated lamniform shark teeth, such as Squalicorax kaupi (Agassiz, 1843) and Cretolamna appendiculata (Agassiz, 1843) suggests that the traces could be due to feeding activity of one of these selachians. This is one of the few evidences of shark predatory activity or scavenging on mosasaurs in the fossil record of Europe.