Ancient fish thought to be larger than sharks was actually quite short

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Dunkleosteus terrelli was an armoured predator food with bladed jaws alternatively of teeth that lived 360 cardinal years ago. Researchers thought it was a 9-metre-long elephantine but it whitethorn person really person been fractional that size

Life 28 February 2023

By Jake Buehler

The fossilised skull of a Dunkleosteus

The fossilised skull of a Dunkleosteus

Russell Engelman

One of the earliest vertebrate apex predators whitethorn not person been a elephantine aft all.

Dunkleosteus terrelli – often portrayed arsenic a 9-metre-long, armoured, shark-like predatory food with bladed jaws alternatively of teeth – whitethorn person been a overmuch smaller animal, with odd, chunky, shortened proportions.

The astir twelve known taxon of Dunkleosteus are arthrodires, a assortment of aboriginal fishes that reached their heyday successful the Devonian period, much than 360 cardinal years ago. They had rugged armour plating covering their heads and the beforehand fractional …

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