Leedsichthys problematicus . It inhabited the seas of the Jurassic period between 165 and 155 million years ago.
Summary
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- 1 Ichthyology
- 2 Etymology
- 1 Features
- 2 Size
- 3 Power
- 4 Predators
- 3 sources
Ichthyology
The first remains of Leedsichthys problematicus were identified in the 19th century. The fossils of this formidable fish have been found in various parts of the world, there are about 70 different individuals, both in the northern hemisphere and in the southern hemisphere , which suggests that, like the great whales of today, these animals are They were in constant motion.
Etymology
The name Leedsichthys comes from the conjunction of the Greek word : “Ichthys” which means “fish” and Leeds, in honor of its discoverer Alfred Nicholson Leeds .
Characteristic
Leedsichthys is a giant member of the Pachycormidae, an extinct group of Mesozoic ray-finned fish that lived in mid- to late Jurassic oceans . It is supposed to have reached 16 meters in length. It was slow moving and had strong fins. It lived in groups of about 7 or 10 individuals. They had the behavior of a whale; they traveled in schools. They had more than 40,000 teeth, long and fine that looked like the baleen of a whale; it had a large head with bumps on the roof of the skull. Fossilized bony fin rays show large elongated pectoral fins and a tall vertical tail fin. The gill arches were lined with gill rakers, equipped with a unique system of delicate bony plates.
Size
Formerly (and due to the small amount of fossils found) it was thought that the length of this giant fish could reach 30 meters in length, however, in the latest studies on the growth rings of its fossils they have indicated that in age adult could reach about 16 meters.
Feeding
They fed on plankton that they engulfed with their large mouth.
predators
It could have fallen prey to huge marine reptiles such as Liopleurodon or Metriorhynchus due to its slow movements.