Enchodus gladiolus is one of three species of Enchodus we find in South Carolina. Enchodus is referred to as the “saber-toothed herring”. They were decently sized fish, growing to a few feet in length. They are characterized by their massive dermopalatine (fang) at the front of their jaw. Their dermopalatine was attached to the rest of the jaw by muscle, so they are commonly found disarticulated from the rest of the jaw. E. gladiolus teeth are curved in a roughly “S” shape. It can be hard to distinguish E. gladiolus teeth from E. ferox teeth, but the main difference is E. gladiolus does not have serrations.

Size: 1cm - 3 cm (3/8 - 1 1/4 inches)

Scale: 1cm

Age: Late Cretaceous