The first <i>Otodus megalodon</i> remains from Canada and their predicted range limit

Otodus megalodon (Agassiz, 1835) is an extinct species of giant lamniform shark known from Neogene deposits around the world. Despite having been found decades ago, Canadian specimens of O. megalodon have never been formally described. Here, we identify and describe eight of these specimens, all of which were recovered by scallop dredging activities on Georges Bank, Nova Scotia. Although all these specimens are ex situ, they probably came from Miocene-aged surface deposits on Georges Bank. Similar-aged deposits on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland that have also been dredged for scallops have not yielded any O. megalodon fossils to date. However, several sites with abundant O. megalodon teeth are known from Miocene deposits along the northeast coast of the USA. We therefore cautiously interpret the Canadian specimens as occurring at or near the northern range limit of the species, and discuss the potential limiting factors of this species’ range.