Helicoprion was a shark-like fish with teeth arranged in a spiral whorl. It lived 270 million years ago. Scientists have found fossil tooth whorls in Russia, North America, Australia, and China. Helicoprion probably lived along the coast of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. It later lived on the supercontinent Pangaea as well. Helicoprion survived the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event 225 million years ago. This event killed 70% of land species and 90% of ocean species.
The tooth whorls were first thought to be ammonite shells. Later it was realized they were shark teeth. The creature was named Helicoprion, meaning “spiral saw”. Fossil locations suggest it lived along the coast of Gondwana and Pangaea.
As a relative of ratfish, Helicoprion was not a true shark. It had cartilage rather than bone. Teeth fossils are often the only shark traces left. The whorls reached large sizes. One 2011 fossil find revealed new details. The teeth were confirmed to be in the lower jaw.
Helicoprion likely sawed prey by slicing with teeth during jaw opening. It did not shake its head like some sharks. Instead, the teeth cut prey in an arc motion like a knife slashing. This let Helicoprion catch and transport prey into its mouth.
Why did Helicoprion have a weird mouth?
The Helicoprion is an extinct shark-like fish. It had a cartilaginous skeleton. Most fossils are spirally arranged clusters of teeth called “tooth whorls”. These were embedded in the lower jaw. In 2011, researchers described a new helicoprion fossil found in Idaho. This revealed the teeth were in the lower jaw. The whorl specimens showed the teeth reached incredible sizes.
Helicoprion likely ate soft-bodied animals like squid. It did not have teeth on the upper jaw. It would have sliced prey repeatedly with a single row of serrated teeth. Helicoprion was over 6 meters long. It resembled sharks but was not directly related. Reconstructions show it as a fast predator. It sliced prey with its whorl of teeth.
What time period did the Helicoprion live?
The Helicoprion lived in the Artinskian of the Permian through the Carnian of the Triassic. It lived 290 to 225 million years ago. The Helicoprion lived in the oceans of North America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia. More fossils were found in Idaho and the Ural Mountains. It likely lived off the coast of Gondwana and Pangaea. The Helicoprion was a bizarre creature that went extinct 225 million years ago. It may have used its teeth to further cut prey during jaw opening. The only evidence is a curled coil of triangular teeth. Experts think it was used to grind mollusks or unfurled explosively to spear prey.
The Helicoprion lived from the Artinskian to Roadian stages, 290 to 250 million years ago. It had a spiral-shaped jaw with hundreds of teeth. It used this as a saw to capture and slice through prey. It grew up to 20-25 ft and weighed up to 1,000 lbs. Its teeth whorls were the focal point of its look. It likely ate soft-bodied prey as indicated by its teeth. It was the apex predator of its time.
The Helicoprion lived in the oceans. It measured up to 24.5 feet long. It is similar to the edestoid shark. The name Helicoprion means “spiral saw.” The fossil was found in calcareous rocks in Guizhou Province with other fossils, estimated from the early Permian period about 290 million years ago.
Helicoprion lived approximately 290 to 250 million years ago. It was first discovered in Russia and named by Alexander Karpinski in 1899. The name means “spiral saw.” It is an extinct shark best known for its curled teeth resembling a circular saw. Biologists have limited knowledge since few fossils were discovered.
Is Helicoprion a ratfish?
Helicoprion is an extinct shark which lived approximately 290 to 250 million years ago during the Early Permian to Early Triassic Periods. It was first discovered in Russia by Andrzej P. Karpinski. In 1889, he named it Helicoprion – a name which means “spiral saw.” Unlike most fossils of cartilaginous fish, Helicoprion has preserved bones, specifically of their jaws. One of the most interesting facts about Helicoprion is that it managed to survive the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event – an extinction event which killed 90% of marine animals. Where did Helicoprion live? Fossils are known from a 20 million year timespan during the Permian period. The closest living relatives of Helicoprion are the chimaeras, very distant relatives. The unusual tooth arrangement is thought to have been used to eat prey. As the jaws closed, teeth at the front snagged the prey. Then middle teeth speared the food, securing it in the mouth, before back teeth sent the morsel down.
In general form, Helicoprion was an archaic ratfish. It reached impressive sizes, approximately 20 to 25 feet long. A new study has solved the mystery of the bizarre lower jaw. CT scans accurately reproduced jaw position. The process went: Teeth at front snagged prey, middle teeth speared food securing it, back teeth sent it down. Helicoprion probably fed on ancient cephalopods.
The skull included a double connection characteristic of ratfish. Helicoprion was not a predecessor to sharks. It belonged to the evolutionary split where sharks and ratfish parted. This pulls other fish like Edestus into the ratfish line.
Ancestors include Edestus and Harpagofututor providing clues to Helicoprion’s eel-like body. Note gracile quadrate enabling jaw motions to facilitate sawing. You can see microevolutionary steps to Helicoprion’s mandible. Most taxa are from the Bear Gulch Formation representing Early and Late Carboniferous strata. Helicoprion followed in the Permian.