Komoksodon fossil map
Where fossils of Komoksodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 75 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 75 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 | 83.6–72.2 million years ago (Campanian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Komoksodontidae |
| Named by | Cappetta et al. 2019 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Canada |
| Rock formations | Northumberland |
About Komoksodon
Komoksodon is an extinct genus of hexanchiform shark known from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene. It is the only member of the monotypic family Komoksodontidae.
It is represented by a single known species, K. kwutchakuth from the Campanian Northumberland Formation of Canada. However, teeth have also been identified from the Campanian of Angola and the middle Paleocene of New Zealand, suggesting that Komoksodon briefly survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction. All these localities appear to be deep-water habitats, suggesting that Komoksodon was a deep-water specialist much like other hexanchiforms. The New Zealand teeth were previously assigned to the orthacodontid Sphenodus before being reanalyzed prior to the genus's description, and likely represent an undescribed taxon due to certain morphological differences from the Canadian species.
The teeth can be distinguished from all other extant and extinct sharks by their highly distinctive and complex root morphology, which suggests that teeth could closely interlock with one another. These structures are somewhat similar to those of chlamydoselachid sharks, suggesting that komoksodontids are also hexanchiforms.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Komoksodon (revision 1354691142), 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: Q124115642.
