Palaeoniscum
Encyclopedia
Palaeoniscum is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...

 period of Europe and North America.

Palaeoniscum had a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

-shaped body 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length, with a deeply forked caudal fin and tall dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...

, indicating that it was a fast swimmer. It was probably an active predator, feeding on other fresh water fish. Its sharp teeth could be replaced when lost, a trait also seen in modern day shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

s. Like other early ray-finned fish, Palaeoniscum had air sacs connected to the mouth which served as a primitive swim bladder.
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