Veridagon

Veh-re-da-gon.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Veridagon ‭(‬True Dagon‭)‬.

Phonetic

Veh-re-da-gon.

Named By

Jes�s Alberto D�az-Cruz,‭ ‬Jes�s Alvarado-Ortega‭ & ‬Gerardo Carbot-Chanona‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Actinopterygii,‭ ‬Neopterygii,‭ ‬Aleposauroidei,‭ ‬Enchodontidae.

Diet

Carnivore/piscivore‭?

Species

V.‭ ‬avendanoi‭

Size

Holotype about‭ ‬22‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Mexico‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cintalapa Formation.

Time Period

Cennomanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Almost complete.

In Depth

       Bearing a strong resemblance to the much better known Enchodus,‭ ‬Veridagon is a genus of predatory fish that lived during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬The name Veridagon translates as‭ ‘‬true‭ ‬Dagon‭’‬,‭ ‬and was picked because the name Dagon by itself had already been used for a genus of butterfly.‭ ‬Anyone familiar with the works of H.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Lovecraft will be familiar that Dagon was the deity of the Deep Ones.‭ ‬Also the Philistines were recorded as having a fish god also called Dagon.‭ ‬These were the inspirations for the genus name of this fish.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Dagon avendanoi gen.‭ ‬and sp.‭ ‬nov.,‭ ‬an Early Cenomanian Enchodontidae‭ (‬Aulopiformes‭) ‬fish from the El Chango quarry,‭ ‬Chiapas,‭ ‬southeastern Mexico.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of South American Earth Sciences.‭ ‬91:‭ ‬272‭–‬284.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jes�s Alberto D�az-Cruz,‭ ‬Jes�s Alvarado-Ortega‭ & ‬Gerardo Carbot-Chanona‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT