Cobelodus

Cobelodus
Temporal range: Carboniferous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Holocephali
Order: †Symmoriida
Family: Symmoriidae
Genus: Cobelodus

Cobelodus is an extinct genus of holocephalid that lived in the Middle to Late Carboniferous period in what is today Illinois and Iowa.

Cobelodus was a 2 metres (6.6 ft) long predator. Although it was related to chimaeras, Cobelodus had a number of differences from modern forms. It had a bulbous head, large eyes, a high-arched back, and a dorsal fin placed far to the rear, above the pelvic fins. Because of its large eyes, it is thought to have lived in the deeper, darker parts of the sea, hunting crustaceans and squid. Another unusual physical feature of Cobelodus are the 30 centimetres (12 in) long, flexible cartilagenous 'tentacles' sprouting from its pectoral fins. Their purpose is unknown.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 27. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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