Fanjingshania renovata
Fanjingshania renovata
An ancient “shark”
Age
Llandovery, Silurian, 439 million years ago
Distribution
Shiqian, Guizhou, China
Taxonomy
Acanthodii, Climatiiformes
Brief description
Jawed vertebrate with paired dermal shoulder girdle plates, each fused to a pair of prepectoral spines, a pectoral and a prepelvic fin spine; ventral and ascending laminae of the pinnal plates extended to the posterior edge of the pectoral fin spines
Trivia
The discovery of Fanjingshania provides the strongest support yet for a proposed early Silurian radiation of jawed vertebrates before their widespread appearance in the fossil record in the Lower Devonian period