Collection: Edestus

Edestus, aka the "Scissor Tooth Shark", aka the "Coal Shark", is a large shark like cartilaginous fish that lived about 310 million years ago. Although it looked almost exactly like a shark and is very often referred to as such it is actually from an extinct group called Eugeneodontids. This group is known for their "tooth whorls", bizarre structures where the teeth where all on a single, spiraling root that would grow as more teeth were added. The most famous member of the Eugeneodontids is Helicoprion aka the "Buzzsaw Shark" which had a single circular spiral of teeth! Unlike Helicoprion, Edestus had two tooth whorls, one on the top and one on the bottom, and were slightly curved instead of a full spiral. Like Helicoprion, the whorls were in the middle of its mouth and went straight front to back in one of the most unusual tooth positions of any vertebrate! The two whorls together would act like giant pair of scissors, hence the name "Scissor Tooth Shark" (Coal Shark comes from its fossils being found in coal deposits)! Its crazy teeth isn't the only thing special about Edestus. One species could grow to well over 20 feet in length, one of if not THE largest predator in the earth's history to that point in time! A period in time that had more time separating it and the first dinosaur, than us and T-Rex!