| P number: | P521193 |
|---|---|
| Caption: | A fossil specimen of Osteolepis pholidotus Traquair. A fossil fish. (Vertebrata, Pisces.) Dunnet Bay, Caithness, Scotland. |
| Description: | Osteolepis pholidotus is a slender, highly mobile voracious predator with well developed sensory organs.Having paired pectoral and pelvic fins and protected by dermal bones and thick, rhomboid scales, this was a highly tuned carnivore. British Geological Survey Biostratigraphy Collection number GSE 3934. The lobe-finned fish include two groups, the lungfish such as Dipterus and the crossopterygians such as Osteolepis and Holoptychius. Crossopterygians were noted for their sharp pointed grasping teeth with vertically-grooved surface giving a labyrinthodont form. This arrangement was well suited for predator fish such as Osteolepis. Some features of Osteolepis are found in the labyrinthodont amphibians such as the ichthyostegids. The first land vertebrates evolved from the fishes. The fish have evolved over time into thousands of species and today they form over half of all living vertebrates. |
| Date taken: | Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT 2003 |
| Photographer: | Unknown |
| Copyright statement: | NERC |
| Orientation: | Landscape |
| Size: | 287.65 KB; 1000 x 775 pixels; 85 x 66 mm (print at 300 DPI); 265 x 205 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Average Rating: | Not yet rated |
| Categories: | Best of BGS Images/ Fossils |
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