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A newly examined prehistoric shark from the age of dinosaurs provides surprising insights into the early evolution of modern sharks. It cannot be confidently assigned to any shark order that exists today and thus calls into question previous assumptions about the evolution of modern sharks.
The approximately 25-centimetre-long animal named Bavariscyllium, which stands out for its slender, elongated body plan, comes from the approximately 150-million-year-old Solnhofen Limestone in Bavaria, a world-famous fossil deposit known for its exceptionally well-preserved fossils.
An international research team led by Sebastian Stumpf from the Natural History Museum Vienna and the University of Vienna has now investigated several new skeletons and isolated teeth of Bavariscyllium. The findings allow a much more precise assessment of this prehistoric shark than previously possible. The results were published in the journal Communications Biology.
Bavariscyllium has a striking, whisker-like sensory organ located in the throat region, which may have served a mechanosensory function and likely responded to physical stimuli. Similar barbels are found today only in a few collared carpet sharks, a group within the order of carpet sharks, to which the whale shark belongs, the largest shark alive today, and at the same time, the largest fish, reaching lengths of up to 18 metres. In addition, Bavariscyllium shows features reminiscent of today's cat sharks, which belong to the order of ground sharks, the most species-rich group of sharks, which also includes hammerhead sharks and the tiger shark. Because of these similarities, Bavariscyllium was originally assigned to ground sharks.
"Our study shows that Bavariscyllium exhibits traits reminiscent of both carpet sharks and ground sharks, but they are not sufficient to confidently place it within either group,” explains study leader Sebastian Stumpf. “Such forms illustrate how highly variable the early evolution of modern sharks was.” The shape of Bavariscyllium’s teeth suggests an unpecialised generalist that presumably preyed on small prey.
In addition, the results suggest that modern sharks developed a greater variety of body shapes much earlier than previously thought. "Bavariscyllium and other sharks from the Solnhofen Limestone show an astonishing range of body shapes, likely predating the emergence of the characteristic body plans seen in today’s shark orders," says Stumpf. “This not only complicates the classification of many fossil sharks, but also has implications for the timing of evolutionary events.”
Fossil teeth that were long thought to represent the oldest records of specific shark orders may, in fact, belong to such puzzling forms like Bavariscyllium, potentially altering our understanding of how and when modern shark groups originated.
“If we cannot confidently say whether certain fossil teeth truly belong to a given shark order, we also need to treat associated age estimates with more caution,” says Stumpf. “Bavariscyllium shows us that some sharks from the age of dinosaurs may not fit neatly into any established category.”
General request for information:
Mag. Irina Kubadinov
Head of Press & Public Relations, Press Spokesperson
Tel.: + 43 (1) 521 77-410
irina.kubadinow@nhm.at
Mag. Klara Vakaj
Press officer
Tel.: + 43 (1) 521 77-626
klara.vakaj@nhm.at
Dr. Sebastian Stumpf
Department of Geology and Paleontology, NHM Vienna
https://www.nhm.at/sebastian_stumpf
Tel.: +43 (1) 52177-583
sebastian.stumpf@nhm.at
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09272-5
https://www.nhm.at/en/press/__458
Holotype and additional skeletal finds of the prehistoric shark Bavariscyllium
Source: Sebastian Stumpf
Copyright: NHM Vienna
Teeth of the prehistoric shark Bavariscyllium
Source: NHM Vienna
Copyright: NHM Vienna
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Biology, History / archaeology
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Research results, Scientific Publications
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