Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
260 / Paleozoic
Xenacanthus
Xenacanthus decheni
A single head spine, forked teeth and continuous dorsal fin defined this freshwater shark.
View original image · 1536 × 1024- Time range
- About 300–260 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Permian
- Geographic range
- Tropical rivers and lakes · Europe
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Xenacanthus?
Xenacanthus (Xenacanthus decheni) was an extinct organism known from About 300–260 million years ago, with a range in Tropical rivers and lakes · Europe.
Life and ecology
Xenacanthus cruised through rivers and lakes, eating fish, crustaceans and amphibians with a body built for shallow water.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Xenacanthus disappear?
Coal-forest collapse, seasonal freshwater systems and Permian crises affected many xenacanth lineages; the specific cause for this genus is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Xenacanthus?
Articulated European skeletons preserve the fins, cartilaginous outline and distinctive teeth.
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