Carcharodon (meaning "jagged tooth") is a genus of sharks in the family Lamnidae in the order Lamniformes. The most famous example of this genus is the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The great white is also the only living member of this genus, as the other two to six (as classification is still uncertain) species have gone extinct. Megalodon was once thought to be a member of the genus Carcharodon, but is now known to belong to the more distantly related Carcharocles. Other species within this genus include the extinct species Carcharodon hubbelli, Carcharodon caifassi and possibly, the broad-toothed mako, Carcharodon hastalis, which may belong to the genus Isurus or Cosmopolitodus. If C. hastalis should indeed belong to Isurus, it further cements the relationship between the two genera, for Carcharodon and Isurus are proven to be each other's closest living relatives. The same may also be true for the evolutionary dead-ends Isurus planus and Carcharomodus, themselves descendants of C. hastalis. A Great White Shark(A.K.A Carcharodon) is a Mackerel Shark(Meaning: Jagged Tooth) Type.
Advertisement