Leedsichthys
Leedsichthys problematicus ("leeds fish") was a giant fish of the Jurassic period. Its fossils were first found in England.
| Leedsichthys Temporal range: Middle Jurassic
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| Leedsichthys with scuba-diver for scale | |
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| Genus: | Leedsichthys
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| Leedsichthys problematicus | |
It was a pachycormid, a group of extinct ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). Leedsichthys is the largest fish known, with an estimated length of up to 16 metres.[1] The blue whale is twice as long, at 30 metres, but it is a mammal, not a fish.
Leedsichthys fossils are incomplete, making it impossible to know the exact length. The fossil is named after its discoverer, Alfred Nicholson Leeds, who discovered it before 1886 near Peterborough, England.[1] No full fossil is known, mainly because parts of the skeleton were made of cartilage, which does not fossilise. The front of the snout was made of cartilage.
Leedsichthys fossils have also been found in France, Germany and Chile.
Food
Like the world's biggest fish today, the whale shark, Leedsichthys was a filter feeder, getting its nutrition from plankton. Remains of over 70 individuals have been found.[1]
Leedsichthys Media
Photo of Arthur Smith Woodward, the describer of Leedsichthys.
Restoration based on modern interpretation of the fossils
Largest specimen of Leedsichthys compared to other Pachycormid fish
Leedsichthys being attacked by Pliosaurus rossicus. The reconstruction of Leedsichthys follows that of Martill (1986) and the BBC, which has been criticised as showing an incorrectly sloping head and visible dermal head bosses
