Palaeontology

Prehistoric fish found with modern jaw

By T.K. Randall
September 29, 2013 ·  12 comments

The prehistoric fish was the progenitor of modern jaw bones. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Dallas Krentzel The species known as Entelognathus primordialis was a heavily armored fish that lived approximately 419 million years ago. Considered to be one of mankind's early ancestors, the fish is thought to be the missing link in the development of vertebrates.

Discovered by an international team of scientists at China's Xiaoxiang Reservoir, the fish is the earliest known specimen to exhibit a modern jaw. "We now know that ancient armoured placoderms gave rise to the modern fish fauna as we know it," said palaeontology professor John Long.

The find is being hailed as highly significant and Long has described it as "the most exciting news in palaeontology since Archaeopteryx or Lucy."

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (12)

Tags: Fossil, Fish, Jaw, China