Ancient shark named after Galaga because its teeth look like the iconic video game spaceship Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Ancient shark named after Galaga because its teeth look like the iconic video game spaceship Bleep blue sea. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 23 Jan 2019 12 comments Scientists have named a newly-discovered ancient shark after Galaga because its teeth look like the spacefighter from the iconic 1981 arcade game. The story behind the discovery of Galagadon nordquistae, a shark from South Dakota circa 67m years ago, is pretty cool. Galagadon's tiny teeth (the shark itself was only approximately 12 to 18 inches long) were found in the sediment left behind when palaeontologists uncovered the bones of Sue, the most complete T. rex fossil in the world. They sifted through the almost two tonnes of dirt and found over two dozen teeth belonging to the new shark species. Galagadon teeth. Image credit: Terry Gates, NC State University. And here's the Galaga spaceship. Terry Gates, lecturer at NC State University, was lead author of the paper describing the new species that appeared in the Journal of Paleontology recently. "The more we discover about the Cretaceous period just before the non-bird dinosaurs went extinct, the more fantastic that world becomes," Gates said in a note released on the NC State University website. "It may seem odd today, but about 67m years ago, what is now South Dakota was covered in forests, swamps and winding rivers. Galagadon was not swooping in to prey on T. rex, Triceratops, or any other dinosaurs that happened into its streams. This shark had teeth that were good for catching small fish or crushing snails and crawdads." How Galagadon might have looked (c) Velizar Simeonovski, Field Museum. Gates credits the idea for Galagadon's name to middle school teacher Nate Bourne, who worked alongside Gates at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. The nordquistae part of the name comes from volunteer Karen Nordquist, who helped Gates sift through the dirt. There's no word on whether Galagadon could fire laser beams from its eyes, though. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 5 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store