He is perhaps the first bone fish that nibbled on conspecifics: In southern Germany, paleontologists have examined the fossil Remains of a fish that lived 150 million years ago – and is likely similar to today’s Piranhas have sharp teeth, prey is ripped.
A Team led by Martina Kölbl-Ebert discovered the ten-centimeter-long Fossil in a collection at the Jura-Museum in Eichstätt. The Fund comes from the famous Solnhofener plattenkalk limestone to the West of Ingolstadt. In the major fossil-bearing site of several dinosaur remains have been discovered, including the “primeval bird” called Archaeopteryx.
striking the Piranhamesodon pinnatomus called copy mainly due to its long sharp teeth. Because the Fossil belonged to the group of plasters, tooth fish, an extinct order of bony fish.
their jaws were equipped with rather shallow, rounded teeth, perfect for Crushing of food. All the more surprised the researchers on the tips of the teeth. Your suspicion is a robber who must have chased all the other fish. And indeed, this presumption of standing, the researchers wrote in their study, which appeared in the journal “Current Biology”.
Fossil find from the Solnhofener disk lime
“We have to Fund other fish body discovered, which were obviously ripped pieces out of the fins,” says Co-author David Bellwood from James Cook University in Australia. They may have been victims of Piranhamesodon pinnatomus .
these bite marks mountains amazing Parallel to modern Piranhas. They feed not only from meat, but especially from the fins of other fish. According to Bellwood, it is a smart diet tactic, since the regrowth of fins after some time. “Eat a fish, and he is dead. But nibble on his fins, and you have food for the future,” he says.
the anatomy of the jaw indicates that the animal might once have powerful bite force. It has spread especially on the tips of fangs in his mouth. The tooth pattern, the tooth form and jaw morphology, and the Mechanics pointed to a mouth that was designed for the Cutting of meat or fins.
paleontology hot blood basking sharks flink
made in order for the Fund represents the Evolution of the bones of the fish in question. Because so far it is not thought that the animals at the time of the dinosaurs in the geological era Jurassic were still able to bite pieces from conspecifics. “Cartilage fish such as sharks could, but bony fish have ingested large prey in one piece,” says Martina Kölbl-Ebert. But apparently, some animals were already 150 million years ago in the location and not have developed this ability later on.
But in a different Piranhamesodon pinnatomus of today’s Piranhas: He lived in the sea. Piranhas, which are found in the tropical waters of South America, prefer fresh water.
joe
