Rhizodus
| Rhizodus Temporal range: 362.9–290Ma Late Carboniferous | |
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| Fossil tooth of Rhizodus hibberti | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Infraphylum: | Gnathostomata |
| Class: | Osteichthyes |
| Subclass: | Sarcopterygii |
| Infraclass: | Tetrapodomorpha |
| Order: | Rhizodontida |
| Family: | Rhizodontidae |
| Genus: | Rhizodus |
Rhizodus (Root tooth) is an extinct genus of rhizodont, a branch of the Sarcopterygii, the bony vertebrate clade that also includes tetrapods. It was of enormous size, reaching 6–7 m in length.[1] The most notable characteristics of Rhizodus, when compared to other giant lobe-fins such as Barameda, were the two giant 22 cm fangs located near the front of its jaws,[2] followed by other teeth scaling downwards in size. Rhizodus was a giant apex predator that resided in freshwater lakes, river systems and large swamps in the entire Carboniferous period, feeding on small to medium sized amphibians (ranging from 30 cm and 600 cm in size), using its teeth to kill prey and rip it into digestible sizes, rather than swallowing prey whole like other, smaller-toothed sarcopterygii.[3]