Dino Wiki / All dinos / Prehistoric legends

Dino card No. 0794 of 2,027

Helicoprion

Say it: hel-ih-KO-pree-on

Name means: “spiral saw”1

Ate: MeatPrehistoric legendsPaleozoic, before the dinosaursNot a dinosaur, but a prehistoric legend

Helicoprion was a shark-like fish that lived in the Permian seas. It had a strange, spiral-shaped tooth whorl in its lower jaw that looked like a buzz-saw. This helped it catch and eat soft prey like squid and other cephalopods.1 2

This one is not a dinosaur, but it is one of the most famous animals of prehistoric times, so it gets a place in Dino Wiki too.

Lived

290 to 270 million years ago1

Paleozoic, before the dinosaurs

Fossils found in

Fossils have been found in many places including the United States (Idaho, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Montana), Russia, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Norway.3 1

Food

Meat1 2

Length

5 to 12 m1

estimated based on related eugeneodonts

When did it live?

Before the dinosaurs

Age of dinosaurs

Age of mammals

400 million years ago25266today

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 67 bananas end to end

How big was Helicoprion compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Helicoprion is known mostly from its spiral tooth whorls, because its skeleton was made of cartilage and did not fossilize easily.1 2

The tooth whorl sat in the lower jaw, and each tooth had a different job: front teeth hooked prey, middle teeth pierced and cut, and back teeth pushed food into the throat.1 2

Helicoprion lived during the Permian Period, about 290 to 270 million years ago, which is before the dinosaurs.1

Scientists think Helicoprion was an apex predator in its environment, and it may have gathered in deep inland seas like the Phosphoria Sea (now Idaho) to breed or hunt.1

The name Helicoprion comes from Greek words meaning 'spiral saw', because of its coiled tooth whorl.1

Helicoprion could grow up to 12 metres (39 feet) long, about as long as a school bus.1

AI-made picture of Helicoprion — An AI-made picture of how Helicoprion might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Helicoprion

?Was Helicoprion a dinosaur?

No, Helicoprion was a shark-like cartilaginous fish, not a dinosaur. It lived in the Permian seas long before the first dinosaurs appeared.1

?How big was Helicoprion?

Helicoprion is estimated to have reached lengths between 5 and 12 metres, about as long as a school bus.1

?What did Helicoprion eat?

Helicoprion ate soft-bodied prey like squid, belemnoids, and other cephalopods. It may also have eaten hard-shelled ammonoids and nautiloids by pulling the body out of the shell.1 2

?When did Helicoprion live?

Helicoprion lived from the Early to the Middle Permian, about 290 to 270 million years ago. That is before the dinosaurs.1

?Where was Helicoprion found?

Helicoprion fossils have been found all over the world, including in the United States (especially Idaho), Russia, Australia, China, and Japan. It lived in many seas.1 2

?How did Helicoprion use its tooth whorl?

The tooth whorl sat in the lower jaw and worked like a saw. Front teeth hooked prey, middle teeth pierced and cut, and back teeth pushed food into the throat.1 2

?Why did Helicoprion have a spiral tooth?

The spiral tooth whorl helped Helicoprion catch and eat soft prey like squid. It could also help shell hard-shelled animals by pulling the body out of the shell.1 2

?Is Helicoprion still alive?

No, Helicoprion went extinct about 270 million years ago, at the end of the Middle Permian. It is only known from fossils.1

?How fast could Helicoprion swim?

Nobody knows for sure, but scientists think its body was shaped like a tuna or mackerel shark, so it was probably a fast swimmer.1

?What would happen if Helicoprion was alive today?

If Helicoprion were alive today, it would be a large, fast-swimming predator that ate squid and fish. But it lived in the Permian and is extinct, so we can only imagine.1

Ask Rex about Helicoprion

Rex only answers questions about this page. 10 questions a month.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Helicoprion's tooth whorl was on its nose or tail.

Truth: Scientists now know the tooth whorl was in the lower jaw, based on fossils that preserved jaw cartilage.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Helicoprion
Named by: Karpinsky 18993
Group: Prehistoric legends
Family / clade: Helicoprionidae3
Classification: Chondrichthyes > Eugeneodontiformes > Helicoprionidae3
Age of the rocks: 299 to 254 million years (Asselian / Wuchiapingian)3
Rock formations: Phosphoria, Assistance, Bone Spring3
Countries: USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Kazakhstan3
Fossil records: 35 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Helicoprion was first named in 1899 by Russian geologist Alexander Karpinsky, based on fossils found in Russia and Australia. The type species is Helicoprion bessonowi.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are still unsure about the exact shape of Helicoprion's body, because almost no skeleton has been found, only tooth whorls.1 2

Where the facts come from

Helicoprion (en.wikipedia.org)
Helicoprion - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
Helicoprion in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex