Orthacanthus: Difference between revisions

Orthacanthus; Temporal range: Lower Carboniferous - Permian
Conservation status
	Template:StatusFossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Superorder:	Euselachii
Order:	Xenacanthida
Family:	Orthacanthidae
Genus:	Orthacanthus; Agassiz, 1843
species
	See text.

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Revision as of 08:39, 11 November 2006

Template:Sharksportal Orthacanthus is an extinct genus of fresh-water shark from a family of prehistoric sharks known as Xenacanths. Members of the genus had a long spine growing from the back of their skull and a very long dorsal fin, which ran all along its back, giving it an eel-like appearance.

About 260 million years ago, Orthacanthus was the terror of freshwater swamps and bayous in Europe and North America. Its body reached nearly 10 feet in length and its powerful jaws were lined with double-fanged teeth. They first appeared almost 400 million years ago in the Devonian, and became extinct just before the Mesozoic, about 225 million years ago.

Species

Orthacanthus arcuatus (Newberry, 1856)
Orthacanthus cylindricus (Agassiz, 1843)
Orthacanthus senckenbergianus

This shark-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{sharksportal}}
 {{Taxobox
 | color = pink
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 | genus_authority = Agassiz, 1843
 | subdivision_ranks = species
-| subdivision =
+| subdivision = See text.
-* ''O. arcuatus'' (Newberry, 1856)
-* ''O. cylindricus'' (Agassiz, 1843)
-* ''O. senckenbergianus''
 }}
+{{sharksportal}}
-'''''Orthacanthus''''' is an extinct [[genus]] of fresh-water [[shark]] from a family of prehistoric sharks known as [[Xenacanthida|Xenacanth]]s. It had a long spine growing from the back of its skull and a very long dorsal fin, which ran all along its back, giving it an eel-like appearance.
+'''''Orthacanthus''''' is an extinct [[genus]] of fresh-water [[shark]] from a family of prehistoric sharks known as [[Xenacanthida|Xenacanth]]s. Members of the genus had a long spine growing from the back of their skull and a very long [[dorsal fin]], which ran all along its back, giving it an eel-like appearance.
 About 260 million years ago, ''Orthacanthus'' was the terror of freshwater swamps and bayous in [[Europe]] and [[North America]]. Its body reached nearly 10 feet in length and its powerful jaws were lined with double-fanged teeth. They first appeared almost 400 million years ago in the [[Devonian]], and became extinct just before the [[Mesozoic]], about 225 million years ago.
+==Species==
+* ''[[Orthacanthus arcuatus]]'' <small>(Newberry, 1856)</small>
+* ''[[Orthacanthus cylindricus]]'' <small>(Agassiz, 1843)</small>
+* ''[[Orthacanthus senckenbergianus]]''
 {{Shark-stub}}