PNSO Helicoprion

[andrewsaurus rex]

this one has snuck in under my radar....totally surprised by it.

however, why is the tooth whorl so short?  There have been large, spiralled fossilized whorls discovered.  Why is PNSO's so short and unimpressive?  Am I missing something?

[Dinoguy2]

this one has snuck in under my radar....totally surprised by it.

however, why is the tooth whorl so short?  There have been large, spiralled fossilized whorls discovered.  Why is PNSO's so short and unimpressive?  Am I missing something?

I'm not that familiar with the fossils, but wouldn't it depend on the size of the whorl in proportion to the rest of the body? A big whorl could just indicate an unusually big fish, not a big whorl on an average sized fish?

Edit: it just occurred to me that you might not also have heard of the discovery that spiral was internal- if you have, nevermind, but I figured I'd double check since so many of the old fashioned style reconstructions still float around online. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/buzzsaw-jaw-helicoprion-was-a-freaky-ratfish

[andrewsaurus rex]

ah, I see........the whorl was inside the mouth.  So I presume it stayed inside the mouth at all times and never hung out?  That explains the discrepancy in restorations I've seen.  Less cool looking though...lol.  thanks for the clarification.