Hybodus

Hybodus is an extinct genus of hybodont shark that lived millions of years ago, with fossils commonly found in Mesozoic-era rocks. It had a distinctly different body plan compared to modern sharks.

Hybodus fossils are easily identified by the two sharp spines protruding from the front of their two dorsal fins. They also had distinctively different types of teeth in the front and back of their jaws.

While it resembled modern sharks, it belonged to a distinct lineage called hybodonts that is now entirely extinct. Their closest living relatives are thought to be the deep-sea sixgill sharks and the bullhead sharks.

Due to its two types of teeth—sharp ones in the front for grabbing and flat ones in the back for crushing—Hybodus had a highly varied diet. It likely fed on a mix of slippery prey like squid, as well as hard-shelled creatures like crabs.