Clavusodens, a new petalodont genus from Kentucky

[Halichoeres]

Some new tooth fossils from Kentucky show the presence of petalodonts, odd chimaeriform fishes that lived on reefs and probably crunched hard-shelled animals. It helps round out the picture of what lived in Kentucky 325 million years ago or so.


Reconstruction of Clavodens mcginnisi based on its more complete relative Netsepoye, shown here chasing a phyllocarid crustacean. Art by Benji Paysnoe

Full-text paper (I think it's paywalled, but you know what to do about it): https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/obruchevodid-petalodonts-chondrichthyes-petalodontiformes-obruchevodidae-from-the-middle-mississippian-visean-joppa-member-of-the-ste-genevieve-formation-at-mammoth-cave-national-park-kentucky-usa/00998443EC0180D03C4983CF0888345E

[Libraraptor]

Always interesting to read news from the Carboniferous!

[Halichoeres]

The US National Park Service did a write-up about it too! https://www.nps.gov/maca/learn/news/fossil-research-identifies-new-shark-species-at-mammoth-cave-national-park.htm

[Newt]

Oh nice! The last time I was visiting Mammoth Cave, the tour guide mentioned a new "shark" species discovered in one of the non-public passages; I wonder if it was this one.

The Ste. Genevieve is exposed in my area, but I have not come across anything so exciting.