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Silurian Period

All articles tagged with #silurian period

science1 month ago•43 min saved

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.

via Yahoo|

#eosteus-chongqingensis #megamastax-amblyodus #osteichthyans

science1 month ago•9 min saved

Tiny 436-Million-Year-Old Fossil Recasts the Origin of Bony Vertebrates

A 436-million-year-old bony fish fossil, Eosteus chongqingensis, from China’s Chongqing Lagerstätte, is the oldest near-complete articulated osteichthyan and shows bony-fish traits emerged earlier than thought; a second find, Megamastax amblyodus from ~423 million years ago, reveals a large Silurian predator with early bony-fish dentition, helping place these early fishes on the osteichthyan stem and filling gaps in pre-Devonian vertebrate evolution.

via A-Z Animals|

#bony-fish #osteichthyans #paleontology

science8 months ago•1 min saved

Leech Shows Unusual Dietary Preference

A 437-million-year-old fossil from Wisconsin has been identified as the oldest known leech, revealing that these parasitic worms existed at least 200 million years earlier than previously thought, with notable suction capabilities and prey appetite.

via The New York Times|

#fossil #leech #prehistoric-creatures

nature2 years ago•3 min saved

"425-Million-Year-Old Predatory Worm Discovered with Accordion-Like Movement"

Scientists have described a 425-million-year-old predatory worm named Radnorscolex latus, which moved like an accordion and used sharp teeth and hooks to capture prey. The fossil, originally found in the 1920s in Herefordshire, UK, was re-examined using advanced imaging technology, revealing new insights into its feeding mechanisms and ecological role. The study highlights the worm's tough chitinous cuticle, which contributed to its preservation, and compares its ancient existence to modern "living fossils" like coelacanths and horseshoe crabs.

via IFLScience|

#fossil #nature #paleontology