Dunkleosteus is a well-known prehistoric fish. Its name “(David) Dunkle” + osteus (οστεος, Greek for bone); meaning “Dunkle's Bone.” Named after David Dunkle. David and Jay Terrell (former Museum Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology) discovered the first fossils in 1867 .
Who discovered the Dunkleosteus?
Dunkleosteus remains were first discovered by amateur paleontologist Jay Terrell and his son in 1867 along the Lake Erie cliffs at the town of Sheffield Lake. He called this animal Terrible Fish. This animal was rediscovered by paleontologist David Dunkle.
When did the Dunkleosteus exist?
BBC – Science & Nature – Sea Monsters – Fact File: Dunkleosteus. Speedy, powerful and happy to eat most things – this was the creature to avoid, 360 million years ago . Lived: Late Devonian, 370-360 million years ago.
How long ago did Dunkleosteus live?
The largest species of this genus, Dunkleosteus terrelli, was an apex predator that swam in the subtropical Devonian waters that covered much of Ohio about 359 million years ago .
How old is Dunkleosteus?
Dunkleosteus was a placoderm, a type of armored fish, that lived during the Late Devonian Period from about 375–359 million years ago . Fossil remains of the large species Dunkleosteus terrelli are present in the Cleveland Member of the Ohio Shale, which contains rocks that are approximately 360–359 million years old.
What killed off Megalodons?
Researchers believed they primarily died off as part of a mass extinction 2.6 million years ago, but new evidence suggests they disappeared long before then. ... The researchers suspect the megalodon was wiped out by the great white shark , the same animal that inspires so much terror in humans.
Is the megalodon still alive?
Megalodon is NOT alive today , it went extinct around 3.5 million years ago. Go to the Megalodon Shark Page to learn the real facts about the largest shark to ever live, including the actual research about it's extinction.
Why did Megalodon disappear?
Fossil evidence suggests that megalodons went extinct before about 2.6 million years ago, during a period of cooling and drying in many parts of the world. These changes may have been related to the closing of the seaways separating North from South America and Eurasia from Africa.
How big was a Megalodon?
A more reliable way of estimating the size of megalodon shows the extinct shark may have been bigger than previously thought, measuring up to 65 feet , nearly the length of two school buses. Earlier studies had ball-parked the massive predator at about 50 to 60 feet long.
What is the largest shark that ever lived?
The biggest shark in the world
O. megalodon was not only the biggest shark in the world, but one of the largest fish ever to exist. Estimates suggest it grew to between 15 and 18 metres in length, three times longer than the largest recorded great white shark.
Are sharks prehistoric animals?
Sharks are among Earth's most ancient creatures . First evolving over 455 million years ago, sharks are far more ancient than the first dinosaurs, insects, mammals or even trees.
Why did placoderms go extinct?
It was thought for a time that placoderms became extinct due to competition from the first bony fish and early sharks , given a combination of the supposed inherent superiority of bony fish and the presumed sluggishness of placoderms.
What was the biggest Dunkleosteus?
At least ten different species of Dunkleosteus have been described so far. The type species, D. terrelli , is the largest, best-known species of the genus, measuring 8.79 m (28.8 ft) in length.
What fish did Dunkleosteus eat?
Dunkleosteus appeared on Earth about 175 million years before the first dinosaurs and was one of the first jawed vertebrates. It hailed from a group of fish called placoderms , which bore heavy bony armor on the head and neck. This dominant predator ate just about anything it wanted.
How long did dinosaurs exist?
Dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago (at the end of the Cretaceous Period), after living on Earth for about 165 million years .
Is Dunkleosteus a dinosaur?
The Dunkleosteus lived 130-150 million years before the first dinosaurs . It was a fearless hunter who could snap incredibly fast and ate large sharks, and even its own kind if no other prey was to be found. Fossils of fish, which were only half digested, have often been discovered alongside its skeleton.
