Shenacanthus fossil map
Where fossils of Shenacanthus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 445 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 445 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 | 438.6–432.9 million years ago (Telychian) |
| Periods | Silurian |
| Named by | Zhu et al. 2022 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Huixingshao |
About Shenacanthus
Shenacanthus is a genus of chondrichthyan from the Huixingshao Formation of China. It contains one species, Shenacanthus vermiformis. It is one of the earliest known jawed vertebrates, at roughly 435 million years old. The genus is only known from one fossil of a near-complete fish.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Shenacanthus (revision 1272482183), 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: Q123471059.
