Bandringa ✝

Bandringa is an extinct, well-preserved genus of extinct ctenacanthiforme shark that is part of the Essex fauna. Its fossils were found in the Mazon Creek fossil beds. The type and only species, Bandringa rayi, lived in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio. There were originally two species described, a freshwater species and an ocean species, but in 2014 (paper submitted in 2012), researchers studied twenty-four Bandringa specimens and concluded that the only valid species was B. rayi. Most Bandringa specimens came from juveniles. The physical differences between what was thought to have been the two species of Bandringa, B. rayi and B. herdinae, was due to the preservation process, meaning that B. herdinae was the same as B. rayi. In 2014, researchers completed the anatomy of Bandringa and discovered some new features. They included downward-directed jaws ideal for suction-feeding, needle-like spines on the head and cheeks, and a complex array of sensory organs on both the extended snout and body, suited for detecting prey in murky water. It resembled a mix between a sawfish and a paddlefish with a spoon-billed snout up to half the length of its body.Juveniles have been found in Illinois while adults have only been found in Ohio and Pennsylvania.