Three-Foot Silurian Giant Reveals Early Steps Toward Modern Bony Fishes
Two Silurian fossils from China illuminate early osteichthyan evolution: a 436-million-year-old Eosteus chongqingensis from the Chongqing Lagerstätte shows a mosaic of bony-fish traits, suggesting such features emerged earlier than once thought; a 423-million-year-old Megamastax amblyodus from Yunnan reveals early dentition and anatomy bridging jawed cartilage and bony fishes, indicating osteichthyans were widespread in the Silurian and potentially apex predators. Together these finds help fill the pre-Devonian fossil gap and trace the origin of modern fishes.
