Helicoprion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Extinct (fossil)
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
See text for species. |
| Helicoprion | |
|---|---|
| Type | Shark |
| Movement | swimming |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Environment | Saltwater |
| Distribution | Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, USA |
Helicoprion ("Spiral Saw") was an ancient genus of sharks that lived from the Carboniferous to the Triassic periods. It grew to approximately 20 ft long and had a bizarre "buzz saw" teeth structure with a longer lower jaw comprising many rows of progressively larger teeth.
It is hypothesized that it preyed on ammonites and that the teeth were specialized for the job of breaking into the ammonite's shells.
Another theory is that the shark would swim into a school of fish and fling out the jaw, catching fish on his many teeth.
[edit] Species
- Helicoprion ferrieri †
- Helicoprion sierrensis †
- Helicoprion nevadensis †
- Helicoprion davish †
- Helicoprion bessonowi †
- Helicoprion ergasaminon †
- Helicoprion mexicanus †
[edit] References
 |
This article about a prehistoric fish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This shark-related article is a stub. You can help the Wikiproject, WikiProject Sharks by expanding it. |
