Scientists Discovered Fossilised Remains of a Large Predatory Fish

Scientists discovered fossilised remains of a large predatory fish with a fearsome mouth which prowled North American waterways some 375 million years ago. The fossil was found on Ellesmere Island in the Nunavut Territory of Arctic Canada. The findings are published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.  
   
The lobe-finned fish, now called Laccognathus embryi, grew to about five to six feet long and had a wide head with small eyes and robust jaws lined with large piercing teeth. The predatory fish preyed on armoured placoderms and lungfish. The beast was likely a bottom-dweller, waiting on the seafloor to pounce at prey passing by, the researchers said.

In the past, the researchers also discovered Tiktaalik roseae, a transitional animal considered a missing link between fish and the earliest limbed animals, side-by-side with L. embryi at the same site. That suggests the two lived side-by-side as well, the researchers believe.