SilesianTriassic

Parhybodus plicatilis

Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland

A beautifully preserved specimen of a antero-lateral tooth of Parhybodus plicatilis. This shark, unlike the genus Acrodus, was an active hunter, capturing prey with its sharp teeth. Its teeth are quite abundant in the Upper Silesian sediments of the Upper Muschelkalk, though not as common as Acrodus (at least according to my observation).

The variability of this predatory shark’s teeth led scholars to assign different teeth to different species for a very long time (common in older literature, such as the 19th century). Today, we know that, as with other Hybodontiformes, the shape of the tooth depended on its position in the jaw: the front teeth were sharp and prehensile, the posterior teeth had a more crushing shape.