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This illustration shows what the hybodontiform shark Asteracanthus might have looked like, as well as silhouettes showing the shark next to a person for the scale.
Sebastian Stumpf / Fabrizio De Rossi
Sharks tend to be much harder to find preserved in fossil form than their bony dinosaur mates. Shark cartilage is breaking down, which is one reason why a spectacular shark fossil found in Bavarian limestone is worth celebrating. It’s big, it’s almost done, and it’s a rare window into the sharky side of the Jurassic past.
The University of Vienna described the fossilized Asteracanthus as “an exceptionally well-preserved skeleton” in a statement Thursday. The shark swam in a lagoon area 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period.
This image shows illustrations and a photo of the fossilized Asteracanthus shark, which was found to be a nearly complete skeleton.
Sebastian Stumpf: reconstruction of life / Fabrizio De Rossi
The shark was 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long, making it “a giant among Jurassic sharks”. The animal was previously known, but not in the kind of detail scientists now have after this fossil discovery.
“Asteracanthus was scientifically described over 180 years ago by Swiss-American naturalist Louis Agassiz on the basis of isolated fossil spines from the dorsal fin,” the university said. “However, articulated skeletal remains have never been found – until now.”
A research team led by paleontologist Sebastian Stumpf of the University of Vienna published a study on the shark this week in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.
The extinct shark, which is part of a group known as hybodontiformes, is a close relative of modern sharks. The fossil offered more than 150 teeth, which he would have used wisely on his prey.
“Asteracanthus was certainly not only one of the largest cartilaginous fish of its time,” said Stumpf, “but also one of the most impressive.”
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