Asteracanthus was a 6 foot long hybodont shark which lived from the middle Jurassic Period to the middle Cretaceous Period 165-100 million years ago.

Unlike most prehistoric sharks which are known only from teeth, Asteracanthus is also known from some well-preserved body fossils. These show that it had a rounded head like a modern-day Sixgill or Sevengill Shark, short pectoral fins, and a tail best designed for slow cruising rather than sudden bursts of speed. It appears that Asteracanthus was a benthic shark which spent much of its life swimming close to the sea floor. Its short multi-cuspid teeth were designed for gripping onto small slippery prey like small fish and belemnites.

Twelve species of Asteracanthus have been named over the years, most of which date to the middle and late Jurassic Period. The differentiation in species is largely due to subtle variations in shape amongst the teeth and fin spines. It’s possible that some of these species have been misidentified over the years, and there are actually fewer species of Asteracanthus than we think. The genus will need to be given a comprehensive re-examination to determine if this is true.

Asteracanthus. © Jason R. Abdale (September 10, 2025).

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Categories: Paleontology, Uncategorized

Tags: art, Asteracanthus, Cretaceous Period, Early Cretaceous, fish, hybodontid, Jurassic Period, Late Jurassic, marine, Mesozoic, Middle Cretaceous, Middle Jurassic, paleo-art, paleontology, Prehistoric, shark