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Description: | Specimen of a fossil fish, Gyracanthus tuberculatus, collected from the Modiolaris Zone, Middle Coal Measures, Low Main Seam of Late Carboniferous, Westphalian, Duckmantian age from Newsham Colliery, Blyth, Northumberland (NE England). Collected by Thomas Atthey.
Spines are all that is found of this fish. They may have provided protection against large predators such as sharks. The triangular spine was probably attached to the side of the fish near the pectoral fin. Little is known about the fish except that it probably belonged to a group known as the Acanthodii a few of which grew up to 2m long. The spines are sometimes found with fragments of another fish such as Gyracanthides, but no definite link between the two can be made.
The specimen was found in Northumberland.
It is from the Carboniferous period (362 - 290 million years ago) | Publisher: | Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums | Subjects: | Classification: Chordata Atthey Acanthodii Climatiformes Pisces Thomas Osteichthyes | Temporal: | Carboniferous period (362 - 290 million years ago) | Source: | Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums | Identifier: | http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/geofinder/se... | Go to resource |
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