恐龍卡第 0794 張，共 2 027 張

Helicoprion

名字的意思： “spiral saw”1

吃：肉史前傳奇古生代，恐龍出現之前不是恐龍，而是史前傳奇

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

這隻不是恐龍，但牠是史前時代最有名的動物之一，所以在 Dino Wiki 也有一席之地。

生存年代

290 到 270 百萬年前1

古生代，恐龍出現之前

化石發現地

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

長度

5 到 12 m (16 到 39 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 30 公里（19 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

恐龍出現之前

恐龍時代

哺乳動物時代

4 億年前25266現在

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2.5 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 67 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 6 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Helicoprion 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Helicoprion 時速約 30 公里 (19 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

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

Helicoprion 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Helicoprion 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Helicoprion 最常被問的問題

?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?

Maybe up to about 30 km/h (19 mph). This is a guess: nobody knows for sure. Its body was probably shaped like a tuna or mackerel shark, so it was likely 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

迷思破解王

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

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

給恐龍專家

學名: Helicoprion
命名者: Karpinsky 18993
類群: 史前傳奇
科 / 演化支: Helicoprionidae3
分類: Chondrichthyes > Eugeneodontiformes > Helicoprionidae3
岩石的年代: 299 到 254 百萬年 (Asselian / Wuchiapingian)3
岩層: Phosphoria, Assistance, Bone Spring3
國家: 美國, 加拿大, 日本, 墨西哥, 澳洲, 哈薩克3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 35 筆3
發現: 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
仍有爭議: Scientists are still unsure about the exact shape of Helicoprion's body, because almost no skeleton has been found, only tooth whorls.1 2