![]() ![]() The fossil remains of Fanjingshania were recovered from bone bed samples of the Rongxi Formation at a site in Shiqian County of Guizhou Province, South China. #Sharks 3d girls skinUnlike modern sharks, acanthodians have skin ossifications of the shoulder region that occur primitively in jawed fish. Reconstructed from thousands of tiny skeletal fragments, Fanjingshania, named after the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Fanjingshan, is a bizarre fish with an external bony “armor” and multiple pairs of fin spines that set it apart from living jawed fish, cartilaginous sharks and rays, and bony ray- and lobe-finned fish.Įxamination of Fanjingshania by a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qujing Normal University, and the University of Birmingham revealed that the species is anatomically close to groups of extinct spiny “sharks” collectively known as acanthodians. These findings were published in Nature on Sept. ![]() The find predates by about 15 million years the earliest acanthodian body fossils and is the oldest undisputed jawed fish. In contrast to modern sharks, they developed bony “armor” around their paired fins.Ī recent discovery of a new species of acanthodian from China surprised scientists with its antiquity. These early “sharks,” known as acanthodians, bristled with spines. Paleontologists have been able to identify fossils of their extinct ancestors that date back hundreds of millions of years to a time known as the Palaeozoic period. Living sharks are often portrayed as the apex predators of the marine realm. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |