Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
441 / Paleozoic
Stethacanthus
Stethacanthus altonensis
Males carried a denticle-covered anvil-shaped structure on the back.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 330 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Carboniferous
- Geographic range
- Warm shallow sea · North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Stethacanthus?
Stethacanthus (Stethacanthus altonensis) was an extinct organism known from About 330 million years ago, with a range in Warm shallow sea · North America.
Life and ecology
This small shark relative hunted fish and invertebrates; the dorsal structure may have signalled during courtship.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Stethacanthus disappear?
Turnover among Carboniferous cartilaginous fishes is possible context, but it does not establish why the species disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Stethacanthus?
Complete skeletons preserve the dorsal brush, though its display remains debated.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS