1.3" Enchodus Fang in Rock - Morocco

This is a 1.3" fish tooth (Enchodus) from Phosphate Deposits, Khouribga, Morocco. The tooth still has a section of jaw attached to it, usually just isolated teeth are found without any jaw material. It's still embedded in the rock in which it was found.

Enchodus flourished during the Upper Cretaceous and was small to medium in size. One of the genus' most notable attributes are the large "fangs" at the front of the upper and lower jaws and on the palatine bones, leading to its misleading nickname "saber-toothed herring" among fossil hunters and paleoichthyologists. These fangs, along with a long sleek body and large eyes, suggest Enchodus was a predatory species.

Artist's reconstruction of Enchodus. By Dmitry Bogdanov, Creative Commons License