Clash of Aquatic Titans: Cretoxyrhina vs Giant Orthocone

Cretoxyrhina vs Giant Orthocone

Cretoxyrhina- “ginsu shark”

Fighter Size-

6.2 meters long and 1.4 tons

Weapons-

Sharp teeth, agility, and speed

Weaknesses-

Gills and tonic immobility

Cameroceras- chambered horn

Fighter Size-

8.4 meters long(mostly shell) and 2.6 tons

Weapons-

Tentacles, shell, beak, and ink

Weaknesses-

Slow and poor eyesight

Setting- Shallow seas

FIGHT!

A lone Cretoxyrhina heads for the shallows. Large prey is becoming rare in his deep water home and he needs to find a new source of prey. That means venturing into uncharted territory. The shallows are patrolled by a host of other deadly predators. He must watch his back.

Patrolling the shallows is the local top predator, a giant orthocone called Cameroceras. His tentacles snatch a small fish and bring it to his powerful beak. He crushes the small fish and eats it. As he swims off, he smells an incoming rival. He stays where he’s at, preparing to face the intruder.

The shark sees the Orthocone waiting for him. The shark does not like dealing with Orthocones, but he’s done it before. He’ll do it again. He swims forward and aims for the long tentacles. The Orthocone uses his “jets” and speeds off, out of harms way. The shark tries again and gets a faceful of ink. The shark can’t see anything now and the Orthocone strikes. He moves in close and clamps down on the tail fin of the shark with his beak. The shark wiggles free and turns on the huge cephalopod. He clamps down on the shell, breaking a number of teeth. The Orthocone tries to fend of the shark with his tentacles. The shark snaps his jaws and grabs on to one. He slices the tip clean off, staining the water with blood. The Orthocone backs off and the shark starts to circle him, probing for an opening.

The shark swims above the Orthocone in an effort to outflank him. But as he passes, the Orthocone reaches out and grabs him by the end of the tail. The shark tries to escape the clutches of the Orthocone, but isn’t quite strong enough. The Orthocone swings the shark around, bashing him off of a nearby head of coral. He lets go and the shark drifts off a bit before regaining his senses. He charges the Orthocone and slices into a tentacle. The Orthocone can afford to lose a few of those. They’ll grow back. Even still, it’s pain and an injury he’d rather not have. He gives the shark another round of ink and takes the opportunity to get some distance between them.

As the blood continues to drift through the water, smaller predators begin to gather. The shark feels a pain in one of his flippers and notices a smaller shark biting him. He shakes his flipper in irritation and sends the shark spinning away. The small shark is grabbed by a Orthocone tentacle and is tossed away. The Cretoxyrhina charges the Orthocone and goes for an eye. The shark is too fast for the Orthocone and manages to take the eye out with his teeth. He backs off before the Orthocone can strike back.

The shark begins to circle the Orthocone again, hoping to find a weak spot. That shell is a major issue. However, it does mean the Orthocone can’t see what’s coming from behind him. The shark strikes from behind. He goes in below the Orthocone and tears through another tentacle. But before he escapes, he’s in the clutches of the Orthocone. The giant cephalopod brings the struggling shark closer and shreds his gills, using his beak.

As the water turns redder with more blood, the Orthocone holds the shark out in front of him. He turns him upside down. The shark slips into tonic immobility and stops struggling. The Orthocone starts to squeeze the shark with his tentacles as well. It’s a deadly triple threat to the shark. Between his injured gills, his being squeezed to death, and the fact that he’s slipped into tonic immobility, his odds of survival are dropping by the second. The Orthocone continues to hold him there and apply pressure. Within minutes, the shark’s life ebbs away.

The Orthocone releases the shark’s limp body. As the huge cephalopod swims off, the Cretoxyrhina carcass just floats there. A few smaller sharks and mosasaurs move in to feed off the remains as the Orthocone moves on.

Winner- Giant Orthocone

The Cretoxyrhina would be a worthy opponent for just about anything. However, the Orthocone had one huge advantage and that was his shell. That shark would have had a really hard time killing the Orthocone with that in the way and that allowed the Orthocone to claim the victory.

Next time on Clash of Aquatic Titans...

Hyneria was a huge carnivorous fish. But if the devil kept fish, Xiphactinus would be one of them. What would a confrontation between these horrifically deadly fish be like? Find out next time on Clash of Aquatic Titans!