Climatius

Cli-mat-e-us.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Climatius

Phonetic

Cli-mat-e-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Acanthodii,‭ ‬Climatiiformes,‭ ‬Climatiidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬reticulatus

Size

7.5‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Europe.‭ ‬North America.

Time Period

Early Devonian.

Fossil representation

Many known specimens.

In Depth

       As a‭ ‘‬spiny shark‭’ ‬Climatius was not a true shark but was still related to them.‭ ‬Climatius was probably an open water hunter of smaller fish,‭ ‬and two clues to indicate this are both the strongly developed caudal fin and the large pectoral fins.‭ ‬As the caudal fin‭ (‬loosely dubbed the tail‭) ‬propelled Climatius forward it would also have the effect of putting the fish into a‭ ‘‬nosedive‭’ ‬towards the bottom.‭ ‬To counter this effect the pectoral fins act like hydrofoils to keep Climatius in a straight line as it swims forward.‭ ‬This may sound like a lot to infer for a fish that is only known from fossils,‭ ‬but this principal actually applies to all fish.

       Climatius was probably a visually orientated predator as indicated by its large forward facing eyes.‭ ‬Once these located potential prey,‭ ‬the powerful tail would be employed to give chase and close the distance.‭ ‬Climatius would then use its small but sharp teeth to seize its prey,‭ ‬although rather surprisingly the teeth were only present in their lower jaw.‭ ‬This may have been so that it was easier to manipulate prey in the mouth so that it could be swallowed.‭ ‬Like in sharks,‭ ‬Climatius replaced its teeth as they became worn.

       Not only did Climatius have the standard complement of strong spines‭ ‬present in the major fins‭ (‬pectoral,‭ ‬pelvic,‭ ‬anal and both dorsal‭)‬,‭ ‬it also had an additional four pairs of spines that ran along the underside.‭ ‬With a combined total of fifteen hard spines Climatius was significantly more protected than the related Acanthodes,‭ ‬and would have been a difficult mouthful for predators.

Further Reading

– Distribution of vertebrates in the Silurian of Estonia – E. Mark-Kurik – 1969.

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