Bothriolepis

Bothriolepis ornata · Bothriolepis was an armored, bottom-dwelling placoderm fish that lived in freshwater and coastal waters on every continent during the Middle to Late Devonian.

It lived about 387 to 360 million years ago.

Bothriolepis
Photo: PlacodermReconstructions, CC BY 4.0
Bothriolepis
Photo: Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bothriolepis
Photo: JensKunstfreund, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassPlacodermi
OrderAntiarchi
FamilyBothriolepididae
GenusBothriolepis
SpeciesBothriolepis ornata

Where its fossils were found

Every continent, including Antarctica: Europe, Russia, Australia, North America, China and beyond.

Fun facts

  • Its spine-like pectoral fins were probably used to lift the heavy body off the bottom, because its armor would have made it sink quickly.
  • Bothriolepis may have used its pectoral fins to throw mud or sand over itself.
  • The largest species, B. rex, was about 1.7 metres long, and its armor was extra thick, perhaps to keep this big bottom-dweller from floating up.
  • Bothriolepis fed by swallowing mouthfuls of mud and digesting the tiny organisms and bits of organic matter in it.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).