Distribution
Distribution
The Zechstein Sea covered parts of northern England, Germany and western Poland. Wodnika has been found in Permian rocks in northern England and Germany but not yet in Poland.
Wodnika was a rare shark and makes up less than 1% of the Zechstein Sea fish population.
Habitat
Wodnika lived in the shallower environments of the Zechstein Sea - around the shores and around the shellfish reefs that formed on substrate highs and ridges within the sea.
These reefs were formed from bivalves, brachiopods and crinoids, which lived attached to the substrate and caused the reef to increase in size over the years.
Several other sharks lived in the Zechstein Sea, including:
- Ctenacanthus - a larger, predatory shark which fed on other fishes and had sharp teeth.
- Janassa - a smaller ray-like shark with a flattened body and a crushing dentition which shows that it fed on the reef shellfish.
Wodnika was up to 1 metre in length.