Bobasatrania
Encyclopedia
Bobasatrania is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish.
Many species of Bobasatrania existed during the Triassic
(approx 240M years BP) in the shallow coastal waters off the Pangaea
supercontinent. Their fossil
s are therefore found throughout the world, with some of the best examples coming from the Wapiti Lake region of British Columbia, Canada. They have a distinctive diamond-shaped body, forked tail and long thin pectoral fins
. The largest examples are up to a metre in length, though most are considerably smaller. The structure of their teeth suggests they fed on small shelled animals.
Many species of Bobasatrania existed during the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
(approx 240M years BP) in the shallow coastal waters off the Pangaea
Pangaea
Pangaea, Pangæa, or Pangea is hypothesized as a supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configuration....
supercontinent. Their fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s are therefore found throughout the world, with some of the best examples coming from the Wapiti Lake region of British Columbia, Canada. They have a distinctive diamond-shaped body, forked tail and long thin pectoral fins
Fish anatomy
Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs more light than air does.- Body :...
. The largest examples are up to a metre in length, though most are considerably smaller. The structure of their teeth suggests they fed on small shelled animals.
See also
- Prehistoric fishPrehistoric fishPrehistoric fish refers to early fish that are known only from fossil records. They are the earliest known vertebrates, and include the first and extinct fish that lived through the Cambrian to the Tertiary. The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology...
- List of prehistoric bony fish