Orthacanthus

Smaller than a Microraptor!

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Orthacanthus
Artistic impression of a Orthacanthus hunting a Triodus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Superorder:	Euselachii
Order:	Xenacanthida
Family:	Orthacanthidae
Genus:	Orthacanthus
Species:	†Orthacanthus arcuatus (Newberry, 1856) +Orthacanthus cylindricus (Agassiz, 1843) +Orthacanthus senckenbergianus

Orthacanthus is a genus of prehistoric freshwater shark that lived during the Paleozoic era. It was also an member of a group of ancient sharks called xenacanths, all of which were freshwater sharks with long fins down their backs and a spine at the start of the fin. It was the largest of the known xenacanths at 3 meters (10 feet) and 45 kg (100 lbs).

About 260 million years ago, Orthacanthus was the apex predator of freshwater swamps and bayous in Europe and North America. It owned a peculiar set of double-fanged teeth. They first appeared about 400 million years ago in the Devonian, and became extinct just before the Mesozoic period, about 225 million years ago.

In Popular Culture

• Orthacanthus was featured in the Shark Week special Prehistoric Sharks, where it was labelled as the terror of permian swamps.
• A set of jaws and teeth from Orthacanthus can be seen in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
• Orthacanthus appears in Jurassic World: The Game, where it is a cave creature that is obtained through VIP Membership.
• A stylized Orthacantus is seen in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island during the song Big Water.
• It appears in the River Monsters episode Prehistoric Terrors alongside several other prehistoric fish.

Gallery

Orthacanthus card in Jurassic World: The Game

Base Form in Jurassic World: The Game

Land Before Time Orthacanthus

River Monsters Orthacanthus