In Depth
Birgeria are a genus of fish that lived during the Triassic. The body form and broad range of fossil distribution strongly suggest that Birgeria were open water (pelagic) fish that swam throughout the open ocean. The body seems to have been very smooth and the tail deeply vaned, adaptations that support efficient and fast swimming. Birgeria had forward facing eyes and a mouth that could open very wide, and combined with the sharp pointed teeth, Birgeria would have been one of the key predatory fish species in the ocean.
Further reading
- The fossil fishes of California, with supplementary notes on other species of extinct fishes. - University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geology 5(7):95-144. - D. S. Jordan - 1907.
- Triassic Fishes from East Greenland collected by the Danish expeditions in 1929-1931. - Meddelelser om Gr�nland 83(3):1-305. - E. Stensi� - 1932.
- Notes on the Discovery of Birgeria in China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 39(3):168-176. - F. Jin - 2001.
- Marine Early Triassic Actinopterygii from Elko County (Nevada, USA): implications for the Smithian equatorial vertebrate eclipse. - Journal of Paleontology 91:1025-1046. - C. Romano, J. F. Jenks, R. Jattiot, T. M. Scheyer, K. G. Bylund & H. Bucher - 2017.
