Ancient Fish's Demise Reveals Fatal Encounter with Giant Ammonite

Paleontologists have discovered a fossilized fish from the Jurassic era that died after swallowing an unusually large ammonite. The fish, Pachycormus macropterus, was found in Germany and had a belly full of various prey, including a 10-centimeter ammonite conch. The researchers believe that the fish either misidentified the ammonite or it became stuck in its mouth, leading to its death within hours due to blockage of the intestine. This finding provides the first documented case of a fatal last meal in an extinct pachycormid fish and suggests that ammonites may have been more commonly consumed by bony fish during the Jurassic period than previously thought.