Ancient Armored Fish Devoured Prey Whole

Long before dinosaurs appeared on Earth, fierce predatory fish developed crushing jaws and sharp teeth to survive and diversify in ancient oceans.

Flinders University researchers have used a new combination of techniques to find out how these armoured fish called placoderms - the first vertebrates to evolve jaws and teeth more than 400 million years ago - caught their prey on an exotic ancient reef that once covered what is now northern Western Australia.

The scientists were surprised to discover these early jawed fishes evolved two different ways of biting other armoured prey in the rich marine ecosystems of prehistoric Australia.

"Placoderms experimented with an extraordinary range of jaw shapes and biting parts during the early evolution of vertebrates," says Dr Alice Clement , an ARC Future Fellow. "They provide a rare opportunity to understand how some of the first jaws became specialised for different diets."