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The genus Centrophorus sp. represents a very interesting group of sharks within the Centrophoridae (Squaliformes), which can be found up to about 3000m below the sea surface. The largest representatives of this group reach a body length of 170cm. Not only because the sharks of this group are among my favorite sharks, but also because fossil finds of this species are extremely rare, I decided to write about this topic and compare fossil and recent Centrophorus species with each other, as well as collect the known information about them. The modern genus Centrophorus has been repeatedly revised, rewritten, rearranged, species synonymized and added again in recent years, which makes it difficult to keep an overview. According to my count, the genus currently includes a maximum of 17 described species and is distributed in all deep-sea regions worldwide. The 17 known modern Centrophorus species are: C. acus (synonymous with C. granulosus according to White 2013, but still often considered independent), C. atromarginatus, C. granulosus, C. harrissoni, C. isodon, C. lesliei, C. longipinnis, C. lusitanicus (probably a cluster of different species), C. machiquensis (doubtful), C. moluccensis, C. niaukang (synonymous with C. granulosus according to White 2013, but still often considered independent), C. seychellorum, C. squamosus, C. tessellatus , C. uyato, C. westraliensis, C. zeehaani The fossil records are limited to 3 species, Centrophorus granulosus, squamosus and primaevus. They appear from the late Cretaceous (Haumurian) or early Paleocene (Keyes, 1984). It is possible to distinguish different species based on their teeth, but in many cases it is very difficult, especially without locality data and due to the lack of and contradictory information. I would like to show you the teeth of 9 extant Centrophorus species from my collection and the 3 known fossil species. I would particularly like to focus on their teeth, as they are almost the only thing that can be detected as fossils and also what is most likely to get from the recent species. Since my English is unfortunately not good enough to describe the tooth shape perfectly, I will let the pictures do this The tooth formula describes the number of teeth in the upper and lower jaw. I have summarized them myself from the literature for most of the species, since there were often different numbers to be found. Centrophorus squamosus Is one of the largest representatives of this group (up to approx. 170cm) and is distributed worldwide. It can be found down to a depth of 2400m. The fossil record is currently limited to New Zealand (Keyes, 1984). Tooth formula: 30-38 / 24-32 Keyes, 1984 (fossils, found at different localities in New Zealand): Extant teeth/ jaw from my collection (35 / 30; 15x12cm): Centrophorus primaevus Extinct representative of this group (lived in the Late Cretaceous, Santonian). It is a relatively small representative with a body length of approx. 0.5m (previously known). Tooth formula: Unknown The fossils shown are from Lebanon (Kriwet & Klug, 2009): Centrophorus granulosus Also a large representative of this group (up to 170cm). The species is distributed worldwide, but not in the Mediterranean where it is replaced by C. uyato. It occurs to a depth of about 1500m. The fossil records are currently limited to France (Ledoux, 1972). Tooth formula: 36-43 / 28-32 Ledoux, 1972 (fossils from France): Ebert & Dando, 2021: My collection (39 / 30; 9x8cm): However, most fossil Centrophorus teeth found in publications are not assigned to a specific species, but only as Centrophorus sp.. Here are a few sample images from various publications: Mannering & Hiller, 2008 / Schutter & Wijnker, 2012: Below I would like to post pictures of the remaining extant Centrophorus species. Unfortunately, for some species the information is very scarce and, as I said, often contradictory.

I have decided to create some collection threads for various shark teeth. I would like to use these to promote some of the less frequently seen shark teeth. We see plenty of Megatooth, GW's etc but some pretty awesome sharks do not get much love here. I wanted to set this up by taxonomic orders and see what my fellow shark nuts want to share. I think this is a great way to not only share our collections but also build a database that may help help collectors ID teeth or get some idea of what exists to be collected. I love Squaliformes sharks. They are among the the most biologically interesting sharks to have existed. Among the truly fascinating adaptations they have are bioluminescence, biological antifreeze for extreme cold temperature survival, protruding jaws in one species and even pockets ! They represent the smallest sharks but some such as the Pacific Sleeper and Greenland Shark can grow very large. The Greenland Sharks are the oldest known vertebrates on the planet with life spans of possibly longer than 500 years and are the slowest swimming fish. The Largetooth Cookiecutter shark has the largest teeth per body size of any living shark. They are also weird looking sharks that can capture the eye. Google search Rough shark or Pocket Shark or the Viper Dogfish. They are bizarre looking creatures yet perfectly adapted to some of the harshest environments on our planet. For shark tooth collectors they present numerous challenges. Many are deep water sharks with few known fossil locations. Some types of Squaliformes may only be known from one or two fossil sites. Many are small sharks with very small teeth which add to the difficulty in finding them. Rarity creates demand and my experience has shown me that not only are they hard to find, collectors hold on to their Squaliformes teeth. I am not even sure how far back they go in the fossil record as Fossilworks notes Triassic Squaliformes from France but I found no available information beyond a notation. I apologize for the long introduction and biological information that most of you probably know. I am bored educator with no one to educate about sharks lol I would encourage my fellow TFF members to share not only your teeth but your knowledge and fun facts swimming around your brain about the amazing and weird Squaliformes.