An article published last week in the scientific journal PLOS ONE describes a giant prehistoric fish that was found under a rural road in South Africa. According to the authors of the study, the fossil was excavated on a road near Waterloo farm, in the south of the city of Makhanda.
The analyzes revealed that he is of the family Tristichopteridae – an extinct group of huge fish with lobe fins that lived during the Devonian period, 419 million years ago.
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During excavation, parts of the dermal skull, lower jaw, gill cover and shoulder girdle were found. The new species was designated Hyneria is a loan.
The fish to which the remains belonged would have been at least eight meters long, which, according to the study, would be the average size for this species.
This is an entirely new species, still known only from the Waterloo Farm site. although the Hyneria linda A related animal from Pennsylvania has previously been characterized by the description of isolated bones and bone associations, this is the first time that a reconstruction of the skull and shoulder girdle of a Hyneria has been achieved.
Rob Gess, a paleontologist and research associate at the Albany Museum of South Africa and co-author of the study, told Newsweek.
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The tristichopterid family is the group of fish most closely related to tetrapods – animals with four limbs. They are often used as examples of the pre-tetrapod ancestral form.
These giant fish are believed to have evolved on Gondwana – a large landmass that formed 550 million years ago, often referred to as a supercontinent. Scientists hypothesize that the species migrated to Euramerica – another ancient supercontinent.
According to the study, the specimen discovered was likely the top freshwater predator in the Waterloo Farm area.
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