THE oldest known fossilised, articulated shark not only had the same toothy bite as modern sharks but also sported spines on its pectoral fins. It is a feature that may mean the fish family tree will have to be reorganised.
The fossil of the early shark, called Doliodus problematicus, is about 409 million years old, 15 million years older than the remains of any other known articulated shark. It was found in 1997 in New Brunswick, Canada, but has only now been fully studied by researchers from the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John and the University of Quebec in…
