Ancient Predator Had a Killer Jaw | National Geographic

Curse of the buzzsaw came in swirling oceans. 275 million years ago lived one of the top predators of its time. If you look over, it was like a mutant creature from a horror movie. It looks like a shark with a terrifying buzzsaw in its jaw. Its bite was as strong as a modern crocodile's.

How could such a bizarre jaw work? The angle of its mouth was bigger than a great white shark's. Teeth pushed the prey deep inside; the jagged spiral was forced into a notch in the upper jaw. Prey was sliced into. No less frightening was its size—twice as long as a great white. It had fewer fins and a narrower body.

Don't get close to these blades; they're four inches long and angled backwards. New teeth pushed older ones deep into the whirling rotations in the jaw. Teen monsters had two rotations; adults had four. Circles of flesh ripping, Chalmers... More than 150 of the fossils have been found.

The odd shape mystified scientists for over a century. The Gila Capri on went extinct long ago, but beware the curse of the buzzsaw killer. It's always wise to play it safe in the water. [Music]