Elegestolepis

Ele-ges-to-lep-iss.
Updated on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Elegestolepis

Phonetic

Ele-ges-to-lep-iss.

Named By

Karatajute & Talimaa - 1973.

Classification

Chordata, Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii.

Diet

Uncertain, presumed carnivore.

Species

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil material.

Known locations

Russia.

Time Period

Late Silurian.

Fossil representation

Placoid scales.

       Although only known from placoid scales Elegestolepis, along with Mongolepis and Polymerolepis, is the oldest confirmed shark known to science. 

Elegestolepis dates back to about four hundred and twenty million years ago, but some scales that may yet represent another shark ancestor are known from four hundred and fifty million years ago.

Although the placoid scales are accepted to be those of a shark, subtle differences in the scales suggest that Elegestolepis itself may have been quite different in appearance to modern sharks.

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