National Geographic - USA (2019-12)

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EMBARK | CAPTURED

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VOL. 236 NO. 6

EXPLORE

IN THIS SECTION

Bridge of Roots

Sylvia Earle’s Fins

Bedtim—or Maybe Note for Bears

BUZZ SAW

MYSTERY

The fossils resembled blades of

circular saws. Frozen in time, some

of the ancient impressions revealed

up to 150 razor-sharp wedges in

tightly wrapped spirals, or whorls.

For more than a century, scien-

tists questioned: What were they?

Answer: The killer jaws of the Heli-

coprion, an evolutionary outlier

from 275 million years ago.