Fish · GBIF taxon 8568893
Helicoprion bessonowi
Helicoprion bessonowiAlso known as Buzzsaw Shark, Spiral Tooth Shark, Whorl Tooth Shark
Cruising the global shelf seas of the Permian, this bizarre predatory fish possessed a continuous spiral of blade-like teeth nestled within its lower jaw. Biomechanical modeling reveals that this spiral tooth whorl acted like an internal circular saw, slicing through soft-bodied cephalopods and ammonites as the jaw snapped shut. Though long mistaken for a true shark, anatomical scans show it was a stem-chimaera, more closely allied with modern ratfish than with great whites.
PrehistoricCarnivorousMarine
Licensed referenceJames St. John / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Ammonites
- Coleoids
- Early bony fish
ThreatsMarine ecosystem collapse, ocean anoxia during mass extinctions
HabitatsShallow to offshore marine shelf environments
Life spanUnknown (estimated 20–40 years)
Classification
- FamilyAgassizodontidae
- GenusHelicoprion
- SpeciesHelicoprion bessonowi
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Extinct prehistoric species known exclusively from fossilized tooth whorls.
Responsible observation
- Fossil Identification: Look for tight, nautilus-shaped spirals of serrated teeth in marine limestone.
- Museum Viewing: Examine articulated 3D skull CT reconstructions in paleontology exhibits.
Image unavailableClose Relative Prehistoric Relative 
Same Family Danish Museum of Natural History, University of Copenhagen / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
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