Lissodus was a prehistoric shark which lived from the early Triassic to the middle Cretaceous Period, about 250 to 110 million years ago, give or take. Named in 1835, it was a member of a group of sharks called the “hybodonts”, which formed the major shark clade during the Mesozoic Era.

Twelve different species of Lissodus have been identified based upon the fossil evidence, which consists almost entirely of teeth, along with a few fragmentary dorsal spines. Teeth which have been ascribed to Lissodus have been found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are commonly found within freshwater sediment deposits, indicating that this shark lived in rivers and lakes.

Based upon the similarity of teeth, Lissodus was apparently very closely-related to another hybodont shark named Lonchidion – in fact, the teeth are so similar that they are often difficult to distinguish.

Below is a drawing which I made of Lissodus, drawn in No.2, No.3, Crayola, and Prismacolor pencils on printer paper. Yes, I realize that this drawing looks very different from the drawing of Lonchidion which I made back in 2014. Truthfully, I don’t know which one is more accurate because body fossils of hybodont sharks are few in number, and they are often badly crushed. So…pick whichever one suits your fancy.

NOTE: The original drawing dated to May 5 was inaccurate, and it has been replaced.

Lissodus. © Jason R. Abdale (August 1, 2022)

Keep your pencils sharp, everyone.

Categories: Paleontology, Uncategorized

Tags: Africa, art, Asia, Cretaceous Period, Europe, fish, hybodontid, Hybodus, Jurassic Period, Lissodus, Lonchidion, Mesozoic, North America, paleo-art, paleontology, Paleozoic, Prehistoric, shark, Triassic Period