Named By: | E. Nielsen in 1952 |
Time Period: | Permian, 259-254 Ma |
Location: | Greenland |
Size: | Uncertain |
Diet: | Carnivore |
Fossil(s): | The teeth arranged in a 'whorl' |
Classification: | | Chordata | Chondrichthyes | Eugeneodontida | Agassizodontidae | |
Sarcoprion (from the Ancient Greek for "flesh saw") is an extinct genus of eugeneodontid holocephalids from the Permian of Greenland. Similar to other eugeneodontids such as Edestus and Heliocoprion, it was best known for its extremely bizarre tooth morphology compared to other species of sharks and their closest relatives, the chimaeras. Compared to other members of the Helicoprionidae (teeth of Agassiz), its "tooth whorls" were found to be sharper, more compact, and in better condition than other sharks of the time, and refrained from growing to extremely unwieldy forms that would raise questions about its ability to feed properly. The genus contains one species, Sarcoprion edax ("gluttonous flesh saw"), found in Permian-aged marine strata of Meddelelser om Gronland.