Category: Teeth

  • Polyacrodus sp., tooth, 9/UMK

    Polyacrodus sp., tooth, 9/UMK

    Polyacrodus sp. Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautifully preserved specimen of a shark tooth crown, Polyacrodus sp., belonging to the order Hybodontiformes. My observations indicate that the teeth of these sharks are significantly less numerous in the Ladinian sediments of Upper Silesia than those of other hybodonts. This is the only…

  • Parhybodus plicatilis, anterior tooth, 8/UMK

    Parhybodus plicatilis, anterior tooth, 8/UMK

    A well-preserved specimen of the anterior slender tooth of the hybodont shark Parhybodus plicatilis.

  • Acrodus sp, tooth, 7/UMK

    Acrodus sp, tooth, 7/UMK

    A beautifully preserved tooth crown from Acrodus sp.. The root is missing, suggesting it was much less durable than the crown itself. In fact, these occasionally broken (though still recognizable) crowns are often the only identifiable elements in the “fishy mess” of vertebrate remains I encounter.

  • Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, tooth, 5/UMK

    Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus, tooth, 5/UMK

    Sauropterygia cf. Nothosaurus Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland The largest Sauropterygian tooth in my collection. Unfortunately, the specimen’s preservation leaves something to be desired, especially since the apex of the tooth is missing. In any case, a tooth of this size must have belonged to a large individual. Obtaining it required considerable…

  • Acrodus lateralis, tooth, 4/UMK

    Acrodus lateralis, tooth, 4/UMK

    Acrodus lateralis Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland A beautifully preserved tooth crown from the hybodont shark Acrodus lateralis. The teeth of this species are smaller than those of Acrodus gaillardoti, with more refined ornamentation. The delicate, yet distinct, branching ridges converge to a keel that runs the entire length of the tooth.…

  • Palaeobates angustissimus, tooth, 13/LMK

    Palaeobates angustissimus, tooth, 13/LMK

    Palaeobates angustissimus Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A tooth from another common shark from the Middle Triassic – Palaeobates angustissimus. These teeth measure usually no more than a few millimeters. This specimen is one of the largest in my collection. Palaeobates is another durophagous shark with dentition adapted for crushing hard prey.…

  • Parhybodus plicatilis, tooth, 3/UMK

    Parhybodus plicatilis, tooth, 3/UMK

    A specimen of a antero-lateral tooth of Parhybodus plicatilis.

  • Pistosaurus longaevus, tooth, 2/UMK

    Pistosaurus longaevus, tooth, 2/UMK

    Pistosaurus longaevus Middle Triassic, Upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian), Upper Silesia, Poland Pistosaurus were an intermediate form (though not considered a direct ancestor) between Nothosaurus and Plesiosaurus. They were the first known reptiles to move by underwater flight. While nothosaurids moved primarily by twisting their trunks (like modern crocodiles), the movement of pistosaurids resembled the swimming of…

  • Acrodus sp. lateral tooth, 11/LMK

    Acrodus sp. lateral tooth, 11/LMK

    Acrodus sp. Middle Triassic, Lower Gogolin Beds, Upper Silesia, Poland A beautiful specimen of a shark tooth from the genus Acrodus, with its crown and root preserved. The dentition of these durophagous sharks was heterodont—meaning the teeth varied in shape depending on their position in the jaw. This specimen is an example of a lateral…

  • Ptychoceratodus cf. madelungi tooth plate 9/LMK

    Ptychoceratodus cf. madelungi tooth plate 9/LMK

    Ptychoceratodus sp. cf madelungi (Ceratodus sp. cf. madelungi) Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (anisian), Upper Silesia, Poland An extremely rare specimen from the Lower Muschelkalk. A dental plate of a lungfish (Dipnoi). Ptychoeratodus is an extinct genus of lungfish that occurred from the Early Triassic to the Late Cretacerous. The fossil record usualy preserves dental plates…