Swimming with…Devonian fish |
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| Authors: | Lance B Morrissey Philippe Janvier Simon J Braddy John P Bennett Susan B Marriott Peter R Tarrant |
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| Institution: | School of Geography &Environmental Management, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK,;CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France;Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queen's Road, Bristol, UK;Pound Cottage, The Green, Glasbury, Powys, UK;10 Lower Bromdon, Wheathill, Barwarton, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, UK |
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| Abstract: | Armoured jawless fish, or 'ostracoderms', lived 450–360 million years ago, and display unusual morphologies, unlike any modern fish group. Since they left no living descendants, their mode of swimming has, until recently, remained speculative, although this is a crucial question as the first true pectoral fins evolved within the 'ostracoderms'. The discovery of the oldest-known fish trails, from the Early Devonian (400 million year old) 'Lower Old Red Sandstone' of south-east Wales offers new insights into the swimming behaviour of these early fish, notably the osteostracan 'ostracoderms' (or cephalaspids), whose horseshoe-shaped head and paddle-shaped pectoral fins have remained a functional riddle. |
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