Jesse Pruitt

Idaho State University | ISU · Department of Geosciences

This study reevaluates the tooth morphology used to define species within the genus Edestus (Chondrichthyes, Euchondrocephali). Known as the scissor tooth shark, Edestus produced a unique dentition of spiraled tooth families positioned in the symphysis (midline) of the upper and lower jaws. Morphometric analysis of more than 200 ejected teeth and i...

Sharks of Late Paleozoic oceans evolved unique dentitions for catching and eating soft bodied prey. A diverse but poorly preserved clade, edestoids are noted for developing biting teeth at the midline of their jaws. Helicoprion has a continuously growing root to accommodate more than 100 crowns that spiraled on top of one another to form a symphyse...

Laser and structured light scanners are primary tools for acquiring surface details of body and trace fossils and have been widely used to study vertebrate specimens. Comparison of different scanner types shows their relative advantages and limitations. Regardless of scanning device, the workflow from initial scan to final product involves registra...

The recent reexamination of a tooth-whorl fossil of Helicoprion containing intact jaws shows that the symphyseal tooth-whorl occupies the entire length of Meckel's cartilage. Here, we use the morphology of the jaws and tooth-whorl to reconstruct the jaw musculature and develop a biomechanical model of the feeding mechanism in these early Permian pr...

Three dimensional (3D) virtualization and visualization is an important component of industry, art, museum curation and cultural heritage, yet the step by step process of 3D virtualization has been little discussed. Here we review the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory’s (IVL) process of virtualizing a cultural heritage item (artifact) from start to f...

Three dimensional (3D) virtualization and visualization is an important component of industry, art, museum curation and cultural heritage, yet the step by step process of 3D virtualization has been little discussed. Here we review the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory's (IVL) process of virtualizing a cultural heritage item (artifact) from start to f...

The genus Helicoprion (Chondricthyes, Euchondrocephali) is preserved primarily by a continuous spiral root that forms the base for more than 130 teeth. Helicoprion is found globally in Lower Permian marine rocks and at least 100 specimens exist in public collections worldwide. Ten species of the genus are reviewed in the context of new morphometric...

New CT scans of the spiral-tooth fossil, Helicoprion, resolve a longstanding mystery concerning the form and phylogeny of this ancient cartilaginous fish. We present the first three-dimensional images that show the tooth whorl occupying the entire mandibular arch, and which is supported along the midline of the lower jaw. Several characters of the...