Solo –
Scientists in South Africa excavated a giant fish fossil that is 360 million years old for research. This giant fish has fangs and is thought to have been a predator of human ancestors in ancient times.
The age of these ancient fish is known to be much older than the dinosaurs. These ancient fish swam in the river waters of the ancient southern continent of Gondwana.
Reported from detikEdu, Sunday (26/2/2023), this fish has a length of about 2.7 meters and was a predator in its day. The researchers call this fish as Hyneria is a loan which in IsiXhosa (the local language of South Africa where the fossils were found) means ‘one that eats others’.
Ancient fish size Hyneria is a loan called more than 2 meters, so the fish is the largest bony fish ever found. Ancient fish Hyneria is a loan lived in the late Devonian, about 383 million to 359 million years ago.
“The mouth contains a row of small teeth, but also a pair of large canines which may be up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) in the largest individuals,” Per Ahlberg, a Professor in the Department of Organismal Biology at Uppsala University, Sweden, told Live Science.
Scientists have actually found the first clues about this ancient fish in 1995. The discovery was in the form of isolated scale fossils at a dig site called Waterloo Ranch, Makhanda.
Berktter Lurking Then Appearing Suddenly
Judging from the fossils found, ancient fish Hyneria is a loan has a fin shape that leads to the back of the body. This is an ecological characteristic of a predator that has a waiting behavior and then shoots suddenly.
“Hyneria would lurk in the dark shadows and wait for things to pass by,” explained Robert Gess, another researcher.
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