Category Archives: fossils
Helicoprionids
Heliocoprionids Heliocoprionid sp. Timeline: Late Permian (299-251 Million years ago) Maximum size: Uncertain Predator advantage: teeth Likely prey: Fishes, cephalopods The prehistoric shark Heliocoprionid sp. swan the seas in the Pennsylvannian (318-299 million years ago). A continuous whorl of teeth … Continue reading
Placoderm Fish
Dunkleosteus terrelli : Placoderm Fish Age: Late Devonian Placoderms Peak Period: Devonian Likely Prey: Sharks, fishes, cephalopods Crunch! Placoderms attacked their prey with razor sharp bony jaws. They were the biggest fishes in the ocean. Placoderms were among the first … Continue reading
Eurypterids
Eurypterids Date: 444-416 Million Years Ago Age: Silurian Likely Prey: Jawless fishes, soft-bodied arthropods Imagine a scorpion bigger than you. Eurypterids, distant relatives of today’s scorpion, were giants of the Silurian Period. As prey developed hard parts, predators needed tougher … Continue reading
Anomalocaridids
Anomalocaridids Age: 542-488 Million Years Ago Anomalocaridids were the biggest animals of the Cambrian Period. Their streamlined bodies moved swiftly through water. Spiked appendages pulled food into the mouth of these swimming predators. Jagged teeth crushed prey, which included trilobites … Continue reading