Dunkleosteus terrelli
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Placodermi Order: Arthrodira Family: Dinichthyidae Genus: Dunkleosteus Lehman, 1956 Species: D. terrelli
Binomial name
Dunkleosteus terrelli (Newberry, 1873)

Dunkleosteus (formerly known as Dinichthys) was a large Placoderm (armoured prehistoric fish) that lived in the late Devonian period, about 360 – 415 million years ago. The largest of the genus grew to around 8 to 10 m (27 to 33 feet) long, and were probably the top predators of their time. Image File history File links Dunkleosteus. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Typical classes Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Placodermi - extinct Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii - extinct Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) Amphibia (amphibians) Reptilia (reptiles) Aves (birds) Mammalia (mammals) Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordates, specifically, those with backbones or spinal columns. ... Orders Antiarchi† Arthrodira† Petalichthyda† Phyllolepida† Ptyctodontida† Rhenanida† The Placodermi are armoured prehistoric fishes known from fossils dating from the late Silurian to the end of the Devonian Period. ... Arthrodira is an order of extinct armored jawed fishes of the Placodermi class who flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine ecological niches. ... Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) is an investment banking and financial services firm. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John Strong Newberry (1822 - 1892) was a U.S. geologist. ... Orders Antiarchi† Arthrodira† Petalichthyda† Phyllolepida† Ptyctodontida† Rhenanida† The Placodermi are armoured prehistoric fishes known from fossils dating from the late Silurian to the end of the Devonian Period. ... Prehistoric fish are various groups of fishes that lived before recorded history. ... Artists illustration of a Devonian scene. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ...

Description

Dunkleosteus, named to honour David Dunkle, former curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, was one of the largest members of the Placodermi, a Class of armour-plated fishes. The Placodermi first started appearing in the Silurian, and all of them perished during the transition from the Devonian to the Carboniferous, leaving no descendants. A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ... Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: paleo, ancient; ontos, being; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. ... The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum located approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio in University Circle, a 500 acre (2 km²) concentration of educational, cultural and medical institutions. ... Orders Antiarchi† Arthrodira† Petalichthyda† Phyllolepida† Ptyctodontida† Rhenanida† The Placodermi are armoured prehistoric fishes known from fossils dating from the late Silurian to the end of the Devonian Period. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are cold-blooded, covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... The Silurian is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Ordovician period, about 443. ... The Dodo, shown here in a 1651 illustration by Jan Savery, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ... The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359. ...

Due to its heavily armoured nature, Dunkleosteus was likely a relatively slow (albeit massively powerful) swimmer. It is presumed to have dwelled in diverse zones of inshore waters, although it is unknown whether or not it was also somewhat pelagic, that is, swimming freely in open ocean. Fossilization tends to have preserved only the especially armoured frontal sections of specimens, and thus it is uncertain what exactly the hind sections of this ancient fish were like. As such, the reconstructions of the hindquarters are often based on related, albeit smaller, arthrodires. The pelagic zone is the part of the open sea or ocean comprising the water column, i. ...

Dunkleosteus skull, Queensland Museum

A skull of Dunkleosteus is on display in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Queensland (pictured). Image File history File links Dunkleosteus_skull_QM_email. ... Image File history File links Dunkleosteus_skull_QM_email. ... Queensland Museum — 1862–1869 The Windmill in Wickham Terrace ( Queensland Museums first home ) Queensland Museum — 1879–1899 cnr. ... Queensland Museum — 1862–1869 The Windmill in Wickham Terrace ( Queensland Museums first home ) Queensland Museum — 1879–1899 cnr. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia. ...

By Devonian standards, Dunkleosteus was highly evolved. Instead of actual teeth, Dunkleosteus possessed two pairs of razor-sharp gnathal plates which formed a fearsome beak that could slice through flesh and snap and crush bones and almost anything else. After studying a biomechanical model of the fish's jaws, scientists at the Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Chicago concluded that Dunkleosteus had the most powerful bite of any fish, well ahead of sharks, including the great white shark. Dunkleosteus could concentrate a pressure of up to 8,000 pounds-force per square inch (55 megapascals) at the tip of its mouth, effectively placing Dunkleosteus in the league of Tyrannosaurus rex and modern crocodiles as having the most powerful known bite. ^[1] Dunkleosteus could also open its mouth in one-fiftieth of a second, which would have caused a powerful suction that pulled the prey into its mouth, a food-capture technique reinvented by many of the most advanced teleost fishes today. Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago The Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as Museum Campus Chicago. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Range (in blue) The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, also known as white pointer, white shark, or white death, is an exceptionally large lamniforme shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. ... Pounds-force per square inch (lbf/in²) is a non-SI unit of pressure. ... The megapascal, symbol MPa is an SI unit of pressure. ... Binomial name Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905 Synonyms Manospondylus gigas Dynamosaurus imperiosus Dinotyrannus megagracilis Nanotyrannus lancensis? Tyrannosaurus (IPA pronunciation or ; from the Greek τυραννόσαυρος, meaning tyrant lizard) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur. ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... Superorders Osteoglossomorpha Elopomorpha Clupeomorpha Ostariophysi Protacanthopterygii Sternopterygii Cyclosquamata Scopelomorpha Lampridiomorpha Polymyxiomorpha Paracanthopterygii Polymyxiomorpha Acanthopterygii Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. ...

It was a vicious, gluttonous hunter, and probably ate whatever hapless creature it could overpower. The discovery of Dunkleosteus armor with unhealed bite marks strongly suggest that they cannibalized each other when the opportunity arose. Frequently, fossils of Dunkleosteus are found with boluses of fish bones, semi-digested and partially eaten remains of other fish. As a result, the fossil record indicates that it may have routinely regurgitated prey bones rather than digesting them. FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ...

It is commonly thought, and commonly said that placoderms, such as Dunkleosteus, were outcompeted by the smaller, swifter fishes, such as the early shark Cladoselache. However, this assessment fails to take into account that predatory placoderms would have inhabited different ecological niches than the early sharks during the Devonian period. As such, claiming that Cladoselache was a more efficient predatory fish than Dunkleosteus because the former was apparently faster than the latter would be akin to saying that the orca is a superior marine predator than the swordfish because orcas have teeth. Cladoselache is a genus of extinct fish_like shark and is the oldest recognizable shark-like animal. ... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ... Binomial name Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758 Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill in contrast to the smooth, round bill of the marlins. ...

Dunkleosteus, like most other Placoderms, may have also been among the first vertebrates to internalize egg fertilization, akin to the modern process of vivipary as seen in some modern sharks. The first recorded sexual dimorphism appeared in the middle-Devonian ptyctodontid placoderm Rhamphodopsis, which had external clasping organs on males that are strong indicators of intromittent sexual intercourse and internal fertilization. Claspers are modified structures at the base of the pelvic fins which transmit sperm directly inside the female. Females had wide pelvic basal plates. See Placoderm and Ptyctodontida. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Orders Antiarchi † Arthrodira † Petalichthyda † Phyllolepida † Ptyctodontida † Rhenanida † The Placodermi are fish known from fossils dating to the Devonian period. ... The Ptyctodontids (Beak-teeth) were a group of unarmored placoderms. ...

Although Placoderms only existed for a little over 60 million years, their mark on the fossil record is quite visible. They were a pioneer in the later scenes of the Paleozoic, and were vital to the success of the vertebrates. The Placoderms died out in the late Devonian for reasons that are still not well understood. See Late Devonian extinction. The Paleozoic Era (from the Greek palaio, old and zoion, animals, meaning ancient life) is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... Comparison of the three episodes of extinction in the Late Devonian (Late D) to other mass extinction events in Earths history. ...

Dunkleosteus remains have been found in late Devonian strata in Morocco, Belgium, Poland, and North America. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

In popular culture

• Dunkleosteus was the fifth most dangerous sea predator in Sea Monsters. The show counted down the top 7 most dangerous sea creatures in history. Dunkleosteus was depicted as being canniballistic and capable of bending metal.
• The Devonian predator also made a brief appearance in the video game ParaWorld.
• In the video game E.V.O. Search For Eden, Dunkleosteus appeared as an enemy creature in the first time period, and the player could evolve its jaws and body, both being the strongest in those categories.
• China Miéville's novel The Scar features Dunkleosteus, where they are also referred to as "bonefish".
• In Ecco the Dolphin, the Dunkleosteus appeared as an enemy in the prehistoric levels. Ironically the Dunkleosteus existed in the Devonian period and the prehistoric levels takes place 55 million years ago where they were already extinct during that time period. Even its echolocation sprite resembles a shark.

The Sea Monsters beastiary. ... Cannibalism is the act or practice of eating members of the same species, e. ... ParaWorld is a real-time strategy PC game released on September 25, 2006. ... China Miéville China Tom Miéville (born September 6, 1972, Norwich) is a British writer of fantastic fiction. ... The Scar is the third novel written by China Miéville, a self-described weird fiction writer from London, England. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ...

References

• Introduction to the Placodermi: Extinct Armored Fishes with Jaws. Waggoner, Ben (2000). Retrieved Aug 1, 2005
• Dunkleosteus sp. Placodermi. The Virtual Fossil Museum (2002). Retrieved Aug 1, 2005

Notes

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Biomechanics is the research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms or the application and derivation of engineering principles to and from biological systems. ... KGF is the short form of Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka. ... The kilonewton, symbol kN, is an SI unit of force. ...

Gallery

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1591 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dunkleosteus Wikipedia:WikiProject Dinosaurs/Image review Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1560 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dunkleosteus Wikipedia:WikiProject Dinosaurs/Image review Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Dunkleosteus

• Live Science: Prehistoric Fish Had Most Powerful Jaws
• Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

News articles

• MSNBC: Prehistoric fish packed a mean bite
• BBC: Ancient 'Jaws' had monster bite
• Courier Mail: Jaws of death
• CBC: Interview with Philip Anderson on Dunkleosteus Terrelli
• ABC News: Giant prehistoric fish packed quite a bite