Saivodus

Saivodus; Temporal range: Mississippian–Lopingian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Preserved cranial material of S. striatus found at Mammoth Cave
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	†Ctenacanthiformes
Genus:	†Saivodus; Duffin & Ginter, 2006
Species:	†S. striatus
Binomial name
	†Saivodus striatus; Agassiz, 1843
Synonyms
	†Cladodus corrugatus; †Cladodus curtus; †Cladodus eccentricus; †Cladodus ferox; †Cladodus grandis; †Cladodus hornei; †Cladodus magnificus; †Cladodus prototypus; †Cladodus spinosus; †Cladodus striatus; †Ctenacanthus ishii;

Saivodus is an extinct genus of ctenacanthiform fish that existed during the Carboniferous and Permian periods.^[1]^[2] Fossils have been found in Ireland, Scotland, England, Belgium, Morocco, the disputed Kashmir area, and the United States.^[2]^[3]

Taxonomy

Preserved jaw cartilage found in Mammoth Cave being scanned via photogrammetry

Saivodus was erected in 2006 after an anatomical and taxonomic review of Ctenacanthiform dentition specimens by Paleontologists Dr. Christopher Duffin and Dr. Michał Ginter. The species belonging to this genus were formerly included in the two unrelated genera Cladodus and Ctenacanthus.^[1]^[2]

The species Saivodus striatus is currently the only formally described and named species of the genus. However, other unnamed species of the Saivodus genus are known. An unnamed Saivodus species is known from deposits from the Fossil Mountain Member of the Permian (Kungurian) Kaibab Formation near Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.^[3]

Multiple Saivodus sp. teeth specimens discovered in Late Permian (Changhsingian) age deposits of the Permian-Triassic Zewan Formation at the Guryul Ravine of Kashmir (a disputed territory between India and Pakistan) might also represent a new species of the Saivodus genus. The Zewan Formation Saivodus sp. is currently the geologically youngest member of the genus.^[2]^[4]

Description

Saivodus is the largest known member of its group measuring 4–5 metres (13–16 ft) or more in total body length, possibly even up to 6–7 metres (20–23 ft), based on individual teeth about 3 centimetres (1.2 in) or more in length.^[5]^[6] The shape of the teeth suggest it targeted soft-bodied prey.^[7] The cartilage jaws of Saivodus are 60 centimetres (24 in) in total length.^[8]^[9]

References

1 2 Duffin, C.J.; Ginter, M. (2006). "Comments on the selachian genus Cladodus Agassiz, 1843". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (2): 253–266. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[253:COTSGC]2.0.CO;2.
1 2 3 4 Kapoor, Hari Mohan; Sahni, Ashok (August 15, 1971). "A Shark Tooth from Zewan Series of Guryul Ravine, Kashmir". Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Series of Geology and Mineralogy. 38 (1): 163–166 – via KURENAI, Kyoto University Research Information Repository.
1 2 Hodnett, John-Paul M.; Elliott, David K.; Olson, Tom J.; Wittke, James H. (2012). "Ctenacanthiform sharks from the Permian Kaibab Formation, northern Arizona". Historical Biology. 24 (4): 381–395. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.683193. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 85332499.
↑ Nakazawa, Keiji; Kapoor, Hari Mohan; Ishii, Ken-ichi; Bando, Yuji; Okimura, Yuji; Tokuoka, Takao (November 30, 1975). "The Upper Permian and the Lower Triassic in Kashmir, India". Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Series of Geology and Mineralogy. 42 (1) – via KURENAI, Kyoto University Research Information Repository.
↑ Hodnett, J.-P.M.; Tweet, J.S.; Santucci, V.L. (2022). "The occurrence of fossil cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) within the parks and monuments of the National Park Service". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 90: 183–208.
↑ Engelman, Russell K. (2023). "A Devonian Fish Tale: A New Method of Body Length Estimation Suggests Much Smaller Sizes for Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)". Diversity. 15 (3): 318. doi:10.3390/d15030318. ISSN 1424-2818.
↑ Katz, B. (February 4, 2020). "Jaw of 330-Million-Year-Old Shark Discovered in Kentucky Cave".
↑ Hodnett, John (2020). "The Ghosts of Ancient Sharks at Mammoth Cave National Park".
↑ Hodnett, John (2024). "New ctenacanth sharks (Chondrichthyes; Elasmobranchii; Ctenacanthiformes) from the Middle to Late Mississippian of Kentucky and Alabama". www.tandfonline.com. doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2292599. Retrieved 2026-06-05.

External links

3D model of scanned and labeled S. striatus fossils at Sketchfab

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[:0-1] 1 2 Duffin, C.J.; Ginter, M. (2006). "Comments on the selachian genus Cladodus Agassiz, 1843". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (2): 253–266. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[253:COTSGC]2.0.CO;2.

[:1-2] 1 2 3 4 Kapoor, Hari Mohan; Sahni, Ashok (August 15, 1971). "A Shark Tooth from Zewan Series of Guryul Ravine, Kashmir". Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Series of Geology and Mineralogy. 38 (1): 163–166 – via KURENAI, Kyoto University Research Information Repository.

[:2-3] 1 2 Hodnett, John-Paul M.; Elliott, David K.; Olson, Tom J.; Wittke, James H. (2012). "Ctenacanthiform sharks from the Permian Kaibab Formation, northern Arizona". Historical Biology. 24 (4): 381–395. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.683193. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 85332499.

[4] Nakazawa, Keiji; Kapoor, Hari Mohan; Ishii, Ken-ichi; Bando, Yuji; Okimura, Yuji; Tokuoka, Takao (November 30, 1975). "The Upper Permian and the Lower Triassic in Kashmir, India". Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Series of Geology and Mineralogy. 42 (1) – via KURENAI, Kyoto University Research Information Repository.

[5] Hodnett, J.-P.M.; Tweet, J.S.; Santucci, V.L. (2022). "The occurrence of fossil cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) within the parks and monuments of the National Park Service". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 90: 183–208.

[6] Engelman, Russell K. (2023). "A Devonian Fish Tale: A New Method of Body Length Estimation Suggests Much Smaller Sizes for Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)". Diversity. 15 (3): 318. doi:10.3390/d15030318. ISSN 1424-2818.

[7] Katz, B. (February 4, 2020). "Jaw of 330-Million-Year-Old Shark Discovered in Kentucky Cave".

[8] Hodnett, John (2020). "The Ghosts of Ancient Sharks at Mammoth Cave National Park".

[9] Hodnett, John (2024). "New ctenacanth sharks (Chondrichthyes; Elasmobranchii; Ctenacanthiformes) from the Middle to Late Mississippian of Kentucky and Alabama". www.tandfonline.com. doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2292599. Retrieved 2026-06-05.

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