Ancient Deep-Sea Predator Unveiled: The Eel-Like Shark That Roamed Earth 360 Million Years Ago
Ever wonder what a shark that decided it was more eel than fish would look like? Well, paleontologists digging around in Morocco just dropped a jaw-dropper — the rare fossils of Phoebodus, an ancient shark that swam the Devonian seas some 360 million years ago with a slinky, serpent-like body that screams “don’t call me a regular shark.” Unlike the usual toothy predators we picture, this eel-ish jawed vertebrate rocked a look nobody saw coming, and finding its nearly complete skeleton is like winning the prehistoric lottery, considering shark bones are usually too fragile to survive the fossilizing party. It’s wild to think such a creature prowled the oceans long before the Carboniferous period, sharing a striking resemblance — teeth and all — with the elusive frilled shark lurking in today’s deep waters. Intrigued yet? Hold onto your snorkels — this fossil find peels back layers on a shark that’s shaped more like a swimming mystery than a straightforward predator. LEARN MORE
A group of paleontologists discovered the rare fossils of the ancient Phoebodus shark in Morocco.
Paulo Oliveria/AlamyRecently discovered fossils revealed that there were once serpent-like sharks.
There are more than 500 species of shark swimming in our oceans today, and these species differ greatly in their shapes, sizes, feeding habits, and behavior. But one very primitive shark genus known as Phoebodus sticks out from the rest, considering it actually looked nothing like the sharks we are familiar with — instead, it looked strikingly more like an eel.
Not much was known about Phoebodus until a group of paleontologists uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of it from 360 million years ago.
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