Biodiversity and Evolution of Sharks

By ellorin
  • Period: 455 BCE to 455 BCE

    Doliodus Problematicus

    An acanthodian fossil thought to be discovered.
  • The Silurian Era
    450 BCE

    The Silurian Era

    Sharks began developing as a unique species. All sharks living today evolved from Acanthodian known as “spiny sharks”.
  • The Early Devonian Era
    400 BCE

    The Early Devonian Era

    The Leonodus Shark evolved as the very first fully developed shark. The Antarctilamna was eel-like but had small fin behind its head. Both of them are considered to be in the now extinct early shark genus Xenacanthus.
  • The Late Devonian Era
    380 BCE

    The Late Devonian Era

    The Cladoselache is the first shark in its modern incarnation that appeared. It was six feet long, with a streamlined body, 5-7 gill slits, and dorsal fins.
  • The Carboniferous Era
    360 BCE

    The Carboniferous Era

    This era was considered the most diverse period of sharks in Earth’s history. Sharks dominated the oceans. Sharks also split into many subspecies including rays, skates, and chimaeras. Strange species of sharks like the Stethacanthus, a shark like a flat anvil-like, spiky fin, the Eugeneodontida, a shark with a tooth whorl at the end of their bottom jaw, and the Falcatus, nickname the unicorn shark, grew a long, sharp horn on it’s head evolved during this period.
  • Period: 360 BCE to 360 BCE

    Stethacanthus Shark

    A type of shark that looks like a flat anvil-like, spiky fin.
  • Period: 360 BCE to 360 BCE

    Eugeneodontida Shark

    Another type of shark with a tooth whorl at the end of their bottom jaw.
  • The Jurassic Era
    200 BCE

    The Jurassic Era

    During the era, twelve new families of sharks appeared. Sharks began to evolve flexible and protruding jaws so they could attack and eat larger prey, developed tail fins that allowed them to swim faster and more efficiently and developed mouths under their snout. Sharks also evolved unique traits to respond to habitat pressures like bioluminesce among deep sea sharks.
  • The Cretaceous Period
    145 BCE

    The Cretaceous Period

    Deep sea sharks like the goblin shark or the frilled shark, originated during the Cretaceous Era. Filter feeders like the whale shark, the basking shark, and the megamouth shark first appeared. The Cretaceous was also the time period when Lamnidae sharks, sometimes referred to as white sharks evolved.
  • Period: 145 BCE to 65 BCE

    Goblin and Frilled Shark

    They are types of deep sea sharks and both were originated during the Cretaceous Era.
  • The Early Cenozoic Era
    60 BCE

    The Early Cenozoic Era

    The most famous prehistoric shark evolved, Megalodon. The Megalodon was the biggest ocean predator to ever exist, 65 feet in length and weighing over 30 tons. It used to eat whales. Another one, Otodus grew 39 feet in length, twice the length of the biggest great white sharks.
  • Period: 60 BCE to 60 BCE

    Megalodon Shark

    Was one of the biggest ocean predator to ever exist, reaching a whopping 65 feet in length and weighing over 30 tons.
  • Period: 60 BCE to 60 BCE

    Otodus Shark

    Another type of shark during the Early Cainozoic Era that is 39 feet in length and twice the length of the biggest great white sharks.
  • Period: 50 BCE to 50 BCE

    Leonodus Shark

    The very first fully developed shark.
  • Period: 50 BCE to 50 BCE

    Cladoselache Shark

    Cladoselache is the first shark that appeared in the Late Devonian Era.
  • The Modern Cenozoic Era
    20 BCE

    The Modern Cenozoic Era

    The newest shark species to enter the water is the Hammerhead Shark. Hammerhead Shark evolution only dates back about 20 million years
  • Period: 20 BCE to 20 BCE

    Hammerhead Shark

    It was the newest shark species to enter the water. This shark dates back only 20 million years ago.