SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Paleontologists say they have given a more formal name to the ancient shark fossil dubbed “Godzilla Shark” after it was discovered in New Mexico in 2013. Researchers say in a recently published paper the Hoffman’s Dragon Shark was a distinct species that prowled the shores of eastern New Mexico 300 million years ago when much of North America was covered by a sea. Discoverer John-Paul Hodnett says the name of the newly identified species honors the Hoffman family, which granted him and other paleontologists permission to dig on their land in the Manzano Mountains east of Albuquerque.
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