Hybodontiformes

Hybodontiformes were an extinct order of sharks that lived from the Devonian to the Cretaceous. Many had prominent fin spines and differentiated teeth suited to grasping or crushing prey.

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Chondrichthyes: A class of jawed vertebrates with skeletons made primarily of cartilage, including sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Hybodontiformes were an extinct lineage within this broader group of cartilaginous fishes.
Hybodontiform tooth: A tooth of a hybodontiform shark, often bearing a central cusp and smaller lateral cusplets. Different tooth shapes helped distinguish grasping teeth from teeth suited to crushing hard prey.
Hybodus: An extinct genus of hybodontiform shark known from fossils spanning the Mesozoic. Its name became closely associated with the group, though it represents only one genus.
Devonian: A geologic period lasting from about 419 to 359 million years ago, known for major diversification of fishes. Hybodontiform origins are traced to the Devonian, when early shark lineages diversified.
Cladoselache: An extinct genus of early shark-like fish from the Devonian, known for a streamlined body and limited tooth specialization. It represents an older shark form that lacked the distinctive hybodontiform combination of spines and varied teeth.
Shark: A cartilaginous fish with gill slits and pectoral fins, belonging to the subclass Elasmobranchii. Hybodontiformes were an extinct order of sharks, distinct from living shark lineages.
Hybodontiform fin spine: A robust, often grooved spine associated with the front of a hybodontiform shark's dorsal fin. Its distinctive form is a common fossil clue to hybodontiform identity.
Asteracanthus: An extinct genus of large hybodontiform shark known from distinctive fin spines and teeth. Its conspicuous fossil spines illustrate the structures often used to recognize hybodontiforms.
Carboniferous: A geologic period lasting from about 359 to 299 million years ago. Carboniferous fossils document early members of the order after its Devonian beginnings.
Xenacanthiformes: An extinct group of freshwater and marine shark-like fishes, many with a spine behind the head. Their prominent head spines contrast with the dorsal-fin spines characteristic of many hybodontiforms.