Rhizodus

Rhizodus Temporal range: Carboniferous 330–300 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil tooth of Rhizodus hibberti
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sarcopterygii
Clade:	Tetrapodomorpha
Order:	†Rhizodontida
Family:	†Rhizodontidae
Genus:	†Rhizodus Owen, 1840
Species:	†R. hibberti
Binomial name
Rhizodus hibberti Owen, 1840

Rhizodus (root tooth) is an extinct genus of rhizodont, a branch of the Sarcopterygii, the bony vertebrate clade that also includes tetrapods.

Description

Restoration

The most notable characteristics of Rhizodus, compared to other giant lobe-fins such as Barameda, were the two 22 centimetres (8.7 in) fangs located near the front of its jaws,^[1] followed by other teeth scaling downwards in size. Rhizodus was a giant apex predator that resided in freshwater lakes, river systems and large swamps in the entire Carboniferous period, feeding on small to medium-sized amphibians, using its teeth to kill prey and rip it into digestible sizes, rather than swallowing prey whole like other, smaller-toothed sarcopterygians.^[2]

Fossil skin imprints show that Rhizodus had large, plate-like scales, similar to those found on modern day arapaima.^[3]

Diet

Rhizodus' diet includes medium sized fish and temnospondyls. It has been proposed that Rhizodus may have lunged at terrestrial, shorebound prey, just like a modern day crocodile.^[4]

References