I, too, became obsessed with the whorl tooth.

Eventually my research led me to Dr. Rainer Zangerl, the authority on Paleozoic sharks. With Dr. Zangerl's advice, I reconstructed these peculiar sharks. He assured me that Heliocoprion's tooth whorl was "absolutely rigid."

I was disappointed because my fantasies of Helicoprion involved a kind of snap-towel, party-favor toothy tentacle that uncoiled to snare its prey.

Dr. Rainer Zangerl

Dr. Zangerl with Ray

Fossil Hunting