Helicoprion fossil map
Where fossils of Helicoprion have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 275 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 275 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 | 298.9–254.14 million years ago (Asselian to Wuchiapingian) |
| Periods | Permian |
| Family | Helicoprionidae |
| Named by | Karpinsky 1899 |
| Fossil records | 35 occurrences at 31 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Kazakhstan, China, Russian Federation |
| Rock formations | Phosphoria, txn:118044, Assistance, Bone Spring, Patlanoaya, Ranger Canyon |
About Helicoprion
Helicoprion is an extinct genus of large shark-like cartilaginous fish that lived from the Early to the Middle Permian, about 290-270 million years ago. Helicoprion is a member of the Eugeneodontiformes, an extinct order of cartilaginous fish within the clade Holocephali, a group today represented only by chimaeras. It is also the type genus of the Helicoprionidae, a family of eugeneodonts characterised by distinctive tooth structures called tooth whorls. Helicoprion was first named in 1899 by Alexander Karpinsky on the basis of fossils discovered in Russia and Australia, the generic name meaning "spiral saw". Although numerous species were subsequently assigned to the genus, only H. bessonowi, H. davisii, and H. ergassaminon are recognized following a 2013 revision. The three species are distinguished by the shape and spacing of their tooth crowns.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Helicoprion (revision 1380647724), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
