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Dunkleosteus is an extinct genus of large arthrodire ("jointed-neck") fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 382–358 million years ago.It was a pelagic fish inhabiting open waters, and one of the first vertebrate apex predators of any ecosystem.
Placoderms were among the first jawed fish (their jaws likely evolved from the first pair of gill arches), as well as the first vertebrates to have true teeth. They were also the first fish clade to develop pelvic fins , the second set of paired fins and the homologous precursor to hindlimbs in tetrapods .
The order Arthrodira belongs to the class Placodermi, the large group of extinct prehistoric armored fish that is thought to have diverged over 400 million years ago from all sharks and bony fishes (and thus also all subsequent tetrapods, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians).
The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology. A few living forms, such as the coelacanth are also referred to as prehistoric fish, or even living fossils, due to their current rarity and similarity to extinct forms. Fish which have become recently extinct are not usually referred to as prehistoric fish.
A fossil specimen of Onychodus from Western Australia was found with a placoderm fish half its length logged in its throat. [20] [21] This interesting find was described and illustrated by Dr. John A. Long. [4] [19] [21] The pectoral fins were strong enough for the animal to "walk" around the sea floor in search of a hiding place between coral ...
Enchodus species were small to medium in size, with E. zinensis reaching 172.2 centimetres (67.8 in) long. [6] One of the genus' most notable attributes are the large "fangs" at the front of the upper and lower jaws and on the palatine bones, leading to its misleading nickname among fossil hunters and paleoichthyologists, "the saber-toothed herring".
One of the coolest, most prehistoric-looking fish lives in Florida’s offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It happens to be one of the best to eat but also one of the most elusive.
Living Fossil: the Story of the Coelacanth. W. W. Norton. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009; Weinberg, Samantha (1999). A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth. Fourth Estate. Bruton, Mike (2015).