Enchodus tooth with jaw / skull bone in matrix
Enchodus libycus
Late Cretaceous Period: 65 to 96 million years old
Several species of fish in the genus Enchodus were common in the Western Interior Sea during the Late Cretaceous period. The characteristic that is most noticeable in all species is the presence of large 'fangs' at the front of the upper and lower jaws. Because of the appearance of these unusually large curved teeth, occasionally these fish are referred to as the "Saber-Toothed Herring" but the genus is not related to modern Herrings.
Enchodus fang teeth are excavated from the phosphate mining region in Khouribga from the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco, North Africa. Loose fangs from this Enchodus are not uncommon but large and intact parts of jaw / skull bone with the fang are extremely rare. This large predatory bony fish was easily the "saber-tooth tiger" of the prehistoric oceans. Judging from the massive fangs along with the streamlined body contour, the Enchodus was most likely a ferocious fish that struck it's prey with lightning quick attacks.
Enchodus tooth
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