Damocles fossil map
Where fossils of Damocles have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 330 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 330 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ancient fish & sharks |
|---|---|
| Lived | 326.9–323.6 million years ago (Serpukhovian) |
| Periods | Carboniferous |
| Family | Falcatidae |
| Named by | Lund 1986 |
| Fossil records | 3 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | Heath, txn:245132 |
About Damocles
Damocles is a genus of cartilaginous fish from the Mississippian age Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana, United States and from the Mountain Limestone of Armagh, Northern Ireland. Two species, D. serratus and D. attenuatus, have been assigned, with D. attenuatus originally being classified as a species of the form-genus Physonemus. Members of the genus were predatory, and males possessed a distinctive serrated, sword-like spine which was positioned over their head.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Damocles (genus) (revision 1372189907), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q130479164.
