Squatina prima was an extinct angel shark belonging to the same distinctive lineage as living angel sharks. Angel sharks have broad flattened bodies and spend much of their time resting on or partly buried in the seabed, a body plan very different from the streamlined open-water form usually associated with sharks.

A comparable ambush-predator lifestyle is likely for S. prima. Living angel sharks strike rapidly at fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods that pass within reach, and the fossil species probably exploited similar small to medium-sized prey, although its behaviour cannot be observed directly.

Its fossils are usually isolated teeth rather than complete bodies, but its placement within Squatina gives strong anatomical context for interpreting the animal. It represents a specialised benthic predator within the early Eocene marine ecosystem.