During theDevonian era , inscrutable shark with bizarre tooth and wiggly bodies drown the seas . Until now , we ’ve only known about them from teeth and fin sticker , but researchers have finally uncovered skeletal remains in Morocco , exuviate light on what these strange toothy fish were like .
Describing their breakthrough in theProceedings of the Royal Society B , the researchers unveil near - complete skeletal corpse , including several skulls , from two different species belong to the genusPhoebodus . Shark skeletons are notoriously tricky to stumble upon because they are made out of gristle , not off-white .
" It is hard to find shark skeleton of this completeness and quality because they are made out of cartilage , " first source Linda Frey , of the Palaeontologocial Institute and Museum at the University of Zurich , tell IFLScience . " gristle is not that rich such as bone and therefore , it is less often preserved . For this reason , we were overwhelmed by making such a discovery .
" Although the sharkPhoeboduswas known from mass of tooth material for decades , skeletal system were wholly absent before our late breakthrough . " Cartilaginous Pisces are known asChondrichthyesand include shark , skates , and shaft .
The new clay were found in the Maïder part of Morocco , an area known for itsDrotopstrilobitefossils . Once a shallow ocean , the sharks survive there during the Late Devonian , a period spanning 376 to 360 million years ago that come before the Carboniferous catamenia . wretched water circulation would have serve to bear on the shark ’ body by creating a low - oxygen environment .
One of the most notable features of this group of shark hinted at by the remains is that they had anguilliform – or eel - similar – eubstance , in addition to a long jaw and olfactory organ . The physical characteristics of the genus advise it is tight related to a coinage of elasmobranch calledThrinacodus gracia , discovered in limestone in Montana , that lived during the Carboniferous era .
The researchers note thatPhoebodusis reminiscent of another shark , but less in term of relatedness and more in term of feeling . Thefrilled shark(Chlamydoselachus anguineus ) is a know metal money of shark found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans . A strange creature , it has an eel - same body and slightly revulsion - film - esque teeth arranged in neatly severalise rows , each with three sharp ear .
The bizarre frilled shark .
Well - known sharks like thegreat whitechomp up their prey , but frilled sharks use a unlike overture . Their unique set of teeth allow them to grab onto prey and then swallow it whole , with inward - pointing gnashers preventing any unlucky Pisces the Fishes that finds its way into the shark ’s mouth from escaping .
CT CAT scan of the new dodo suggest thatPhoebodusmay have fed in a exchangeable style to frilled shark as both their tooth and trunk shapes are outstandingly exchangeable . The squad also thinks thatPhoebodus ’ feeding technique may share similarities with that of the gator gar ( Atractosteus spatula ) , one of the biggest freshwater fishes in North America , which has a retentive , flat , almost crocodilian honker that assist it catch Pisces the Fishes that come out at its side .
New finds might state us more about the physiology and deportment of ancientPhoebodussharks , but for now , we have the most complete skeleton of one of these marine animate being ever uncovered , and that ’s pretty awe-inspiring .
[ H / T : NatGeo ]
