Fish
Fish
Fish evolution accelerated dramatically during the Devonian period (419-359 million years ago), with many new types of fishes populating the world’s oceans and freshwaters. With its abundance of rocks of Devonian age, New York State is an excellent place to find fossil fishes.
Examples of Devonian fish fossils from New York
Bring Dunkleosteus home today!
Dunkleosteus was one of the largest placoderm fish, growing up to 30 feet long and weighing over a ton. This voracious predator fed on other fish, arthropods, and ammonoids, using its immensely powerful jaws to bite with extreme force. The “teeth” of Dunkleosteus are actually sharp bony plates, used to crush prey at incredible speeds.
Take Tiktaalik home today!
Tiktaalik is a “fishapod,” a type of ancient fish that represents the evolutionary transition from fish to four-legged animals (tetrapods). Tiktaalik lived around 375 million years ago, during the Devonian Period. It was able to use its fins to pull itself through shallow water, as well as propping itself up by doing “push-ups.”