A group of paleontologists discovered the rare fossils of the ancientPhoebodusshark in Morocco.
Paulo Oliveria / AlamyRecently discover fossils unwrap that there were once serpent - similar sharks .
There are more than 500species of sharkswimming in our oceans today , and these species differ greatly in their shape , sizes , feeding habits , and behaviour . But one very naive shark genus known asPhoebodussticks out from the rest , study it actually look nothing like the sharks we are conversant with — instead , it looked strikingly more like an eel .
Not much was know aboutPhoebodusuntil a mathematical group of paleontologists uncover an exceptionally well - save fossil of it from 360 million years ago .
Paulo Oliveria/AlamyRecently discovered fossils revealed that there were once serpent-like sharks.
concord toNational Geographic , the scientists unveil several skull and an almost unadulterated skeletal system from two species ofPhoeboduswhile working in eastern Morocco .
researcher launch thatPhoebodushad an elongate , eel - like soundbox with a foresighted snout , making it the only - known jawed vertebrate of its time to have an “ anguilliform body physique . ”
Linda Frey and Christian Klug / Paläontologisches Institut und Museum / University of ZurichAn atomic number 26 - rich alluviation from thePhoebodusfossil .
Linda Frey and Christian Klug/Paläontologisches Institut und Museum/University of ZurichAn iron-rich deposit from thePhoebodusfossil.
What ’s even more exciting about this discovery is just how rare it is to see shark fogy at all . Shark skeleton in the closet are made of cartilage which is unaccented than solid bone and subject to deterioration much faster . But because of the location in which this ancient shark decease , its skeleton could be preserved .
The fossils were unearth in what used to be a shallow sea basin during the Devonian era . When the sharks died there , the special water circulation and low-down oxygen tier from the basin created an environment that prevented their organic structure from deteriorating , from being picked off by scavengers , or consumed by bacterium , and fret by sea currents .
“ Although the sharkPhoeboduswas known from mass of teeth material for decades , skeleton were completely absent before our recent discoveries , ” the subject area ’s co - source Linda Frey from the Palaeontologocial Institute and Museum at the University of ZurichtoldIFLScience .
Linda Frey and Christian Klug/Paläontologisches Institut und Museum/University of ZurichReconstruction of a).Phoebodus, b)T. gracia, and c) the frilled shark.
Linda Frey and Christian Klug / Paläontologisches Institut und Museum / University of ZurichReconstruction of a).Phoebodus , b)T. gracia , and c ) the frilled shark .
Frey added that the team was “ overwhelmed ” by making such a discovery which has beenpublishedin detail in the journalProceedings of the Royal Society B.
AlthoughPhoebodusis believed to have pop off extinct in the former Carboniferous full point , there is a modern - day shark that apportion its clear-cut ophidian smell .
TwitterThe frilled shark is itself difficult to observe as it dwells at deep depths and is reclusive.
The ruffled shark , orChlamydoselachus anguineus , is discover in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans , but is a reclusive coinage and , thus , difficult to observe close .
Researchers did manage to compare a CT scan of the fossilizedPhoebodusremains with the skeleton of a ruffled shark and found that while they look similar , these two breeds of shark likely possess very different genetic science .
One trait they do seem to partake in is the shape of their tooth , which are serrate and separated into rows . Researchers hope that this shared strong-arm feature can give them clues as to how the primitive shark fed .
TwitterThe frilled shark is itself difficult to observe as it consist at deep astuteness and is reclusive .
“ The ruffled shark is a specialised predator , with the ability to suddenly burst forward to catch its prey , ” say modernistic shark expert David Ebert , who works at the Pacific Shark Research Center and has study the ruffled shark for decades . “ The inward - indicate teeth then assist to make certain the prey can only go one way : into its pharynx . MaybePhoebodusdid something similar . ”
To fill in the gaps of their conjecture on howPhoebodushunted , the researchers have also looked to an unrelated species that bears a surprisingly similar skull , jaw , and dentition structure with the ancient shark : the gator needlefish .
ThePhoebodusand gator gar , though two different animals , both have long jaws and a flat skull . The downside of this type of jaw social organization is a limited bite force but , according to billfish expert Justin Lemberg of the University of Chicago , it also has its advantages .
“ monotone heads and long jaws are majuscule for snapping sideways at prey , ” Lemberg explained . Comparing law of similarity between two unlike animals — one live and one idle — is not as far - fetched as it may seem , and fossilist often appear to other metal money to find clues to the behaviors of those that have long been extinct .
“ When a certain structure or strategy is in force , there is a trend for it to show up time and time again — both in living animal and in the fossil record , ” Lemberg added .
“ While a lot has changed sincePhoebodusswam the Devonian oceans , the physics of feeding in body of water have not . ”
Next , read how25 million - twelvemonth - honest-to-god mega - shark teeth were discover by an amateurfossil hunting watch and take a smell at theanimal - shaped child bottles that prehistoric parents used to feed their babies .
