Eating with a saw for a jaw: functional morphology of the jaws and tooth-whorl in Helicoprion davisii.

The recent reexamination of a tooth-whorl fossil of Helicoprion containing intact jaws shows that the symphyseal tooth-whorl occupies the entire length of Meckel's cartilage. Here, we use the morphology of the jaws and tooth-whorl to reconstruct the jaw musculature and develop a biomechanical model of the feeding mechanism in these early Permian predators. The jaw muscles may have generated large bite-forces; however, the mechanics of the jaws and whorl suggest that Helicoprion was better equipped for feeding on soft-bodied prey. Hard shelled prey would tend to slip anteriorly from the closing jaws due to the curvature of the tooth-whorl, lack of cuspate teeth on the palatoquadrate (PQ), and resistance of the prey. When feeding on soft-bodied prey, deformation of the prey traps prey tissue between the two halves of the PQ and the whorl. The curvature of the tooth-whorl and position of the exposed teeth relative to the jaw joint results in multiple tooth functions from anterior to posterior tooth that aid in feeding on soft-bodied prey. Posterior teeth cut and push prey deeper into the oral cavity, while middle teeth pierce and cut, and anterior teeth hook and drag more of the prey into the mouth. Furthermore, the anterior-posterior edges of the teeth facilitate prey cutting with jaw closure and jaw depression. The paths traveled by each tooth during jaw depression are reminiscent of curved pathways used with slashing weaponry such as swords and knifes. Thus, the jaws and tooth-whorl may have formed a multifunctional tool for capturing, processing, and transporting prey by cyclic opening and closing of the lower jaw in a sawing fashion.

Jaws for a spiral-tooth whorl: CT images reveal novel adaptation and phylogeny in fossil Helicoprion.

New CT scans of the spiral-tooth fossil, Helicoprion, resolve a longstanding mystery concerning the form and phylogeny of this ancient cartilaginous fish. We present the first three-dimensional images that show the tooth whorl occupying the entire mandibular arch, and which is supported along the midline of the lower jaw. Several characters of the upper jaw show that it articulated with the neurocranium in two places and that the hyomandibula was not part of the jaw suspension. These features identify Helicoprion as a member of the stem holocephalan group Euchondrocephali. Our reconstruction illustrates novel adaptations, such as lateral cartilage to buttress the tooth whorl, which accommodated the unusual trait of continuous addition and retention of teeth in a predatory chondrichthyan. Helicoprion exemplifies the climax of stem holocephalan diversification and body size in Late Palaeozoic seas, a role dominated today by sharks and rays.