WWD: Asteracanthus ornatissimus
Added 2023-05-01 08:11:52 +0000 UTCThe nameless shark of the episode, which was supposed to be Hybodus, but for whatever reason they didn't see fit to identify it by name. Part of the franchise's thing about giving sharks the short end of the stick. Technically speaking, hybodonts aren't true sharks, since they're just outside the crown group, but it's sort of splitting hairs at this point because they'd definitely be considered sharks if they were still alive now.
Hybodus was at the time, and still is, something of a massive wastebasket taxon, resulting in the genus having a massive chronological and geographical range. It's not clear right now how many if any species belong in the genus. The species depicted here was at one time considered a Kimmeridge Clay Hybodus species, H. obtusus, but it was re-evaluated and is now considered a junior synonym of Asteracanthus ornatissimus.
Hybodonts were a group of cartilaginous fish which were extremely successful during the Mesozoic Era, although purely marine forms declined during the Cretaceous Period, possibly due to competition with true sharks. They never reached the massive sizes of true sharks however, and at up to three metres in length, Asteracanthus was one of the largest known species, and is also believed to be a primarily benthic hunter. Hybodonts had long fin spines and, in males, horns above their heads.
