''Sclerorhynchus'' (from el, σκληρός , 'hard' and el, ῥύγχος 'snout') is an extinct genus of ganopristid sclerorhynchoid that lived during the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...

. The genus ''Ganopristis'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Sclerorhynchus''. It was a widespread genus, with fossils found in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

(''S. atavus'', ''S. karakensis''),

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

(''S. leptodon''),

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

(''S. leptodon''), and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

(''S. fanninensis'', ''S. pettersi'', ''S. priscus''). While it had a long

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships * Ros ...

with large denticles similar to

sawfish Sawfish, also known as carpenter sharks, are a family of rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw. They are among the largest fish wi ...

es and

sawshark A sawshark or saw shark is a member of a shark order (Pristiophoriformes ) bearing a unique long, saw-like Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum (snout or bill) edged with sharp teeth, which they use to slash and disable their prey. There are eight species ...

s, its closest living relatives are actually skates. Complete specimens of ''S. atavus'' show that its fin arrangement was similar to skates, with the pectoral and pelvic fins touching, both dorsal fins located behind the pelvic fins, and a reduced caudal fin.

References

Prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera Cretaceous cartilaginous fish Prehistoric fish of Africa Late Cretaceous fish of North America Taxa named by Arthur Smith Woodward {{paleo-rajiformes-stub