Edestus

Edestus
Temporal range: Pennsylvanian (Bashkirian to Moscovian) 313–307 Ma
Artist's reconstruction
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Chondrichthyes
Subclass:
Holocephali
Order:
†Eugeneodontiformes
Family:
†Edestidae
Genus:
†Edestus

Leidy, 1856

Edestus is an extinct genus of eugeneodontid fish from the Pennsylvanian of the UK, Russia, and the United States. Similar to Helicoprion, it had tooth whorls which were embedded in the lower jaw. However, it also had teeth on its upper jaw. The largest species, E. heinrichi, is estimated to have reached greater than 6.7 m (22 ft) in length, around the size of the largest known great white shark, possibly making it the largest marine predator to have ever existed up to that point.

Description

Its skeleton was made of cartilage. So if it decayed, it would vanish, unless preserved by exceptional circumstances.

The teeth of Edestus, much like the more famous Helicoprion, are serrated and located on a structure known as a tooth whorl.

Species and distribution

Asymmetric crowns

Comparison of the four species of Edestus

Symmetric crowns

References

  1. ↑ Engelman, Russell K. (2023). "A Devonian Fish Tale: A New Method of Body Length Estimation Suggests Much Smaller Sizes for Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)". Diversity.

Other websites

Media related to Edestus at Wikimedia Commons