Ancient armored fish developed diverse crushing techniques
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Researchers at Flinders University in Australia investigated how placoderms, ancient armored fish with jaws and teeth, captured prey 385 million years ago on a prehistoric reef in Western Australia.
The scientists used computer simulations and three-dimensional analysis to study the biting surfaces of eight placoderm species.
They discovered the fish evolved two distinct ways to feed, smaller species used broad, flat plates to crush whole prey, while larger species developed tooth-like structures to pierce and break apart armored animals too large to swallow. The study challenges the expectation that animals eating hard foods simply evolve stronger, flatter jaws. Instead, both the smallest and largest placoderms possessed powerful jaws, but they processed food differently.
Smaller species relied on simple crushing plates, and larger ones evolved complex, raised dental surfaces resembling medieval war hammers for puncturing armor. This research demonstrates that early jawed vertebrates did not rely on a single evolutionary path to consume hard-shelled prey. Instead, placoderms diversified their jaw designs to exploit various prey within the ancient reef ecosystem.
The Gogo Formation in Western Australia, where the fossils were found, has been a long-term research site and involves collaboration with the local Gooniyandi and Gogo community. Understanding placoderms is now considered vital to understanding the origins of the human body plan, as they represent an early step in the evolutionary line leading to humans.
