Cut-paper early shark in side view, a slim body with tall fins and a forked tail

The character cabinet

Early sharks

Plants and animalsfish

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What they were

Sharks that swam beside Dunkleosteus. The black rock of the Cleveland Shale in Ohio holds them both.

What happened next

When the armored fish disappeared about 359 million years ago, the survivors were the small and the quick. Sharks and little fast-breeding fish inherited the sea.

On screen

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Open a chapter to read its story and watch the video. Links include brief mentions and previews within published chapters.