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Cheiracanthus

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Cheiracanthus
Temporal range: Middle Devonian
Fossil of Cheiracanthus latus at the London Natural History Museum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Acanthodii
Order: Acanthodiformes
Family: Cheiracanthidae
Genus: Cheiracanthus
Agassiz, 1835
Type species
Cheiracanthus murchisoni

Cheiracanthus (from Greek: χείρ kheír, 'hand' and Greek: ἄκανθα akantha, 'spine')[1] is an extinct genus of a group of fish called Acanthodii (or "spiny sharks").[2] It was a deep-bodied acanthodian about 12 in. (30 cm) in length. It had a blunt head, upturned tail, and fins protected by spines. Unlike many other acanthodians, it had one, solitary dorsal fin. Cheiracanthus swam at mid-depth in lakes and rivers, seizing small prey in its gaping jaws. Whole fossils of this fish occur only in Mid-Devonian rocks in Scotland, but its distinctive small, ornamented scales crop up around the world, as far south as Antarctica.

Life restoration of Cheiracanthus murchisoni

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 29. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. ^ Burrow, Carole; Blaauwen, Jan den; Newman, Michael (2020-04-01). "A redescription of the three longest-known species of the acanthodian Cheiracanthus from the Middle Devonian of Scotland". Palaeontologia Electronica. 23 (1): 1–43. doi:10.26879/1035. ISSN 1094-8074.