![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Glikmanius_tooth_1.jpg/640px-Glikmanius_tooth_1.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Cladodont
Early Devonian shark tooth structure / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cladodont (from Latin cladus, meaning branch and Greek Odon, meaning tooth) is the term for a common category of early Devonian shark known primarily for its "multi-cusped" tooth consisting of one long blade surrounded by many short, fork-like tines, designed to catch food that was swallowed whole, instead of being used to saw off chunks of meat like many modern sharks.[1] The skinny teeth would puncture and grasp the prey, keeping it from wriggling free.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Glikmanius_tooth_1.jpg/640px-Glikmanius_tooth_1.jpg)
Because the most common fossil evidence of cartilaginous fish is teeth, this term is also used for the fossilised teeth themselves.