Despite Barbclabornia teeth being tiny compared to those of Xenacanthus or Orthacanthus, this Permian aged genus of chondrichthyan is the largest of the xenacanthids. This species lived alongside Orthacanthus compressus and Orthacanthus platypternus.

#shark #fossil #paleontology #barbclabornia

A group of tiny Permian chondrichthyan teeth of Barbclabornia luedersensis from the Wellington Formation in Waurika, Jefferson County, Oklahoma, USA. The lack of a central cusp distinguishes this species from the contemporary xenacanthid, Orthacanthus.

#shark #fossil #paleontology #barbclabornia

🧪Species: Barbclabornia luedersensis

Despite shark-like appearances, xenacanths like Barbclabornia are not true sharks. While its teeth are tiny compared to contemporaries like Orthacanthus, Barbclarbornia is believed to be the largest member of this clade, potentially growing up to 5 meters long.

A magnified view of the teeth. These fossils are quite small and can easily be lost, especially when opening a gem jar where there is a risk of them all flying out if I'm not careful.

Oops, I spelt Barbclabornia incorrectly once out of three times.