Enchodus Fang

ENCHODUS TOOTH

This tooth is from a carnivorous fish species called Enchodus libycus, which lived from 112–37 million years ago.

It grew to around 5 feet (150 cm) and its most prominent features were its large, fang-like teeth.

It was a vicious predator, but Enchodus’ remains have been found in the fossilized stomach contents of larger animals such as mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and seabirds.

Enchodus is closely related to modern daggertooth and lancet fish, and is from the same lineage as other ray- finned fish such as trout and salmon.

These fossils have been found worldwide, including in landlocked areas where there were once ancient seas. In fact, some of the largest Enchodus fossils have been found across the United States. Enchodus survived the K–Pg extinction event, which ended the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, and lived another 30 million years. It’s unclear why it went extinct, but around the time of its last known appearance, Earth’s climate was undergoing extreme changes. These fossils are very fragile and are often fractured in the ground, requiring professionals to repair them upon discovery.