Diplodoselache, meaning “double-toothed shark”, was a prehistoric freshwater proto-shark which lived in Scotland during the early Carboniferous Period 345-330 million years ago. Teeth of this animal were discovered in the Wardie Shale Formation of Scotland’s Midland Valley during the 1840s, and they were ascribed to the genus Diplodus (meaning “double tooth” due to its bicuspid morphology) by the famous ichthyologist Louis Agassiz. It was later given its own genus in 1981 and was named Diplodoselache woodi, named in honor of Scottish fossil collector Stan Wood. In addition to teeth, full body fossils have also been discovered which give us a very good idea of what the entire animal looked like. The largest specimen measured 1.12 meters (3.7 feet) long.
Diplodoselache was a member of an order of early shark relatives named Xenacanthiformes, and as such would have been a relative of Xenacanthus and Orthacanthus. It also became the namesake member of the xenacanthiform family Diplodoselachidae, which currently includes Diplodoselache, Dicentrodus, Hagenoselache, Hokomata, Lebachacanthus, and Reginaselache. Like other xenacanthiforms, these were freshwater animals, and it’s believed that Diplodoselache specifically inhabited a lagoon close to the seashore. It shared its habitat with several other species of prehistoric fish. Click here to read more.
Diplodoselache woodi. © Jason R. Abdale (April 26, 2026).
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