4.4" Fossil Enchodus (Fanged Fish) Lower Jaws - Morocco

Fossil Enchodus (Fanged Fish) Lower Jaws - Morocco #107345

This is a 6.5" plate containing jaws from the extinct fish, Enchodus from Morocco. This plate contains most of both sides of the lower jaw. The front of the jaw, including fangs is missing. There are 12 teeth visible and the bone is in good condition. They are preserved in a soft, chalk-like rock. There are a couple of repaired cracks in the rock and a small amount of restoration along one crack.

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