Edaphodon bucklandi

Edaphodon bucklandi

Agassiz, 1843

Common name Chimaeroid
Fossil group Sharks & Rays
Order Chimaeriformes
Family Edaphodontidae
Genus Edaphodon
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Thanetian and Ypresian

Summary

Edaphodon bucklandi was a large extinct chimaeroid, a cartilaginous fish related to living chimaeras and ratfishes. Unlike sharks, which continually replace individual teeth, it carried massive dental plates that grew through life. Dense tritor areas within these plates formed durable crushing surfaces.

The robust dentition suggests a bottom-associated feeder taking hard-bodied prey such as shelled invertebrates. Its exact diet and behaviour are not directly known, but comparison with living chimaeroids and the function of its tooth plates suggest it foraged close to the seabed rather than relying on a slicing shark-like dentition.

Quick Identification

Look for: a large robust Edaphodon tooth plate with a broad plate body and organised tritors; the combination of plate outline, symphyseal region and tritor pattern is more important than colour or a single broken tritor.

Diagnostic Features

  • Dental elements are massive persistent plates rather than discrete teeth.
  • The mandibular plate is robust and develops a prominent anterior beak region.
  • A broad symphyseal surface forms an important part of the mandibular plate outline.
  • Large median and additional tritors occupy substantial parts of the oral surface.
  • Species identification depends on the complete geometry of the plate and tritor arrangement.

Fossil Details

Typical size
Dental plates are large and centimetre-scale; complete mandibular plates can reach roughly decimetre dimensions.
Fossil material
Tooth Plate
Preservation
Large plates frequently break along tritor boundaries. Worn fragments can lose the plate outline needed to distinguish Edaphodon species and should be identified conservatively.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

References

  • 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. (1973). The English Palaeogene Chimaeroid fishes. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 84(3), 315–330 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
2 September 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris