Glueckmanotodus heinzelini

Glueckmanotodus heinzelini

(Casier, 1967)

Common name Sand tiger shark
Fossil group Sharks & Rays
Order Lamniformes
Family Odontaspididae
Genus Glueckmanotodus
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Thanetian and Ypresian

Summary

Glueckmanotodus heinzelini was an extinct early Palaeogene lamniform shark with a robust sand tiger type dentition. Its body is not known from articulated material, but its lamniform relationships support interpretation as a streamlined, active swimming predator. The tall pointed teeth have smooth cutting edges rather than serrated blades or crushing surfaces, showing that the dentition was primarily adapted for gripping and piercing prey.

By comparison with related lamniform sharks, it probably preyed on bony fishes and other mobile marine animals in coastal and shelf waters. That ecology is an inference from its dentition and relationships rather than direct evidence of diet. The relatively large teeth indicate a predator larger and more powerfully toothed than the small catsharks and dogfishes that shared early Palaeogene seas.

Quick Identification

Look for: a robust sand tiger type tooth with a tall smooth central cusp, one pair of relatively small but sharp lateral cusplets and a strong bilobed root. The crown faces are essentially unornamented, unlike the basal lingual striation of Striatolamia. Anterior teeth are taller and straighter, while lateral teeth are broader and more inclined.

Diagnostic Features

  • Main cusp is tall, smooth edged and robust at the base.
  • Labial crown face is nearly flat while the lingual face is moderately convex.
  • Crown faces lack the longitudinal striation characteristic of Striatolamia.
  • A single pair of small, sharply pointed lateral cusplets flanks the main cusp.
  • Root is strongly bilobed, with a particularly pointed symphyseal root branch in anterior teeth.

Fossil Details

Typical size
Teeth reach about 30 mm high in lateral positions and about 35 mm in anterior positions in the original material.
Fossil material
Tooth
Preservation
Lateral cusplets and the ends of the root lobes are easily broken, and abrasion can round the cusp tip or erase small differences in crown profile. A detached central cusp without the crown base and root is not normally sufficient for secure species identification.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

Synonyms & Previous Names

Hypotodus heinzelini; Jaekelotodus heinzelini

References

  • Cappetta, H.; Nolf, D. (2005). Révision de quelques Odontaspididae (Neoselachii: Lamniformes) du Paléocène et de l’Eocène du Bassin de la Mer du Nord. Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Science de la Terre, 75, 237–266 View reference
  • Casier, E. (1967). Le Landénien de Dormaal (Brabant) et sa faune ichthyologique. Mémoires de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 156, 5–66. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles View reference
  • Dineley, D. & Metcalf, S. (1999). Fossil Fishes of Great Britain. Geological Conservation Review Series, 675 pp.. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough View reference
  • Ward, D.J. (1978). The Lower London Tertiary (Palaeocene) succession of Herne Bay, Kent. Report of the Institute of Geological Sciences. Institute of Geological Sciences View reference
  • Ward, D.J. (1980). The distribution of sharks, rays and chimaeroids in the English Palaeogene. Tertiary Research, 3(1), 13–19 View reference
Last Reviewed
21 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris