Dinosaur-Era 'Monster' Fish Had Fist-Sized Teeth

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The world's largest lungfish tooth was recently unveiled at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The tooth belonged to a carnivorous "monster" of a fish that also breaks the record for world's largest lungfish, according to project leader Kenshu Shimada, an associate professor in DePaul University's Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences.

(Right upper lungfish tooth plate; Credit for images: Kenshu Shimada)

Measuring in at over 13 feet long, this lungfish beat out the prior record-holder, an 11.5-foot long lungfish from Africa. The largest living lungfish measures only around 6.5 feet long.

The anatomical features of the tooth suggest that it is either from the Jurassic or Cretaceous period (i.e., late Mesozoic = "dinosaur era").

The fossil lungfish is a new species, but a name cannot be given because of its uncertain origin. Its occurrence is mysterious because it was found in central Nebraska, where there are no known "dinosaur-aged" rocks. Thus, it was possibly transported by a river or by a "paleo-Indian" (as a "curious object") from Wyoming area where Mesozoic lungfishes are known to occur.

Although today's lungfish aren't nearly as impressive in terms of size, they are still remarkable due to their very unfish-like behaviors and incredible survivor skills, as this Animal Planet video shows. Read more at news.discovery.com

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Related articles

• History's biggest lungfish pops up in Nebraska (newscientist.com)
• Dinosaur-Era 'Monster' Fish Had Fist-Sized Teeth (news.discovery.com)
• Diversity of Dinosaurs (brighthub.com)