Some 150 million years ago, prehistoric fish swimming in the sponge and coral reefs of what is now southern Germany might not have suspected there was a piranha-like predator prowling among them. Back then, these waters were teeming with bony fish called pycnodontiformes, which were known for their crushing teeth that were likely used for smashing snail shells and sea urchin spines. But now, researchers have found a pycnodontiform with razor-sharp teeth that they think ripped chunks of flesh, especially fins, from other fish. The finding, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, represents the earliest record of flesh-eating in bony fish and may cause scientists to rethink the predatory practices of this group. “It’s a wolf in sheep’s skin,” said Martina Kölbl-Ebert, a vertebrate paleontologist and director of the Jura-Museum Eichstätt in Germany.

Source: New York Times October 18, 2018 15:00 UTC