Helicoprion and Liopleurodon were two very different prehistoric animals. The Liopleurodon was a marine reptile, while the Helicoprion was a prehistoric shark. The Liopleurodon would win against the Helicoprion because Lio had a much stronger bite force and was an ambush predator.
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Battle Facts about Helicoprion vs. Liopleurodon
| Name | Helicoprion (Helicoprion davisii) | Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon ferox) |
| Size | 16-26 feet long, around 1,000 pounds | 16-23 feet long, 2,200-3,700 pounds |
| Speed | 31-35 mph | 20-25 mph |
| Offense | Tooth whorl on its lower jaw to slice soft-bodied prey | Bite force up to 7,700 pounds |
| Defense | Apex predator of its time with no known threats | Great sense of smell to detect danger, sharp teeth |
| Endurance and Behavior | Sliced prey in two with a buzz saw-like tooth whorl | Could stay underwater for several miles |
Liopleurodon and Helicoprion were apex predators of their time. Both were excellent swimmers, but a Helicoprion was a lot faster.
A Liopleurodon was also an amazing ambush predator, and the Helicoprion was used to a life without a natural enemy. If the Liopleurodon could catch the Helicoprion, it would easily win.
What were the Main Differences between Helicoprion and Liopleurodon?
Helicoprion and Liopleurodon were completely different sea creatures. The Helicoprion was a fish, and the Liopleurodon was a marine reptile. One thing they had in common — they were not dinosaurs!
Prehistoric fish first appeared in the oceans over 540 million years ago and survived many extinction events. These ancient fish include:
- The Cretoxyrhina
- The Leedsichthys
- The Megalodon
Marine reptiles included Plesiosaurs, Pliosaurs, and Mosasaurs. The Liopleurodon was the Pliosaur, which is a short-necked Plesiosaur.
Marine reptiles lived from the Triassic to the Late Cretaceous period. Some of our favorite marine reptiles are:
- The Elasmosaurus
- The Kronosaurus
- The Mosasaurus
- The Tylosaurus
Did Helicoprion and Liopleurodon live at the same time?
Helicoprion and Liopleurodon didn’t live at the same time. The Helicoprion lived about 290-260 million years ago during the Permian period. The Liopleurodon lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 166-155 million years ago.
The Helicoprion was part of the Paleozoic era. This includes the Devonian and Carboniferous periods. Dunkleosteus (Devonian) and Edestus (Carboniferous) lived during the Paleozoic era before Helicoprion first evolved.
The Paleozoic era ended about 252 million years ago with a large extinction event. The Permian-Triassic extinction event took about 30 million years for life on land to recover. Sea creatures recovered quicker, with animals like the Ichthyosaur appearing within 2 million years of extinction.
Which dino had a More Powerful Bite Force?
The Liopleurodon had a more powerful bite force of about 7,700 pounds. The Helicoprion’s bite force was only 230-580 pounds.
The Helicoprion’s bite force is even weaker than a lion’s bite force, which is 600 pounds. But the ancient sea monster didn’t need a strong bite during its time. The Helicoprion ate soft-bodied sea creatures, so its bite force was just right.
Who would win the Helicoprion vs. Liopleurodon battle?
As amazing and unique as the Helicoprion was, it didn’t have much chance of beating the Liopleurodon. It had a weak bite and only had teeth on its lower jaw. Helicoprion’s tooth whorl was no match for Liopleurodon’s sharp teeth!
The Helicoprion was faster than Lio, but Lio was an ambush hunter great at surprising its prey. Since the Helicoprion was much less evolved and didn’t have the eyesight and sense of smell Lio did, Lio could easily surprise the Helicoprion.
The strange prehistoric shark Helicoprion is one of our favorite sea monsters. With its buzz saw-like lower jaw, this carnivore was a thing of nightmares. As scary as it looked, it was no match for later marine reptiles.
The Helicoprion’s only real hope of beating the Liopleurodon was to use its speed to escape. Good thing for the Helicoprion that, in its day, it had no natural predators to fight. The Helicoprion was free to swim around the oceans, eating its fill of soft-bodied sea creatures.