Cobelodus

Co-be-lo-dus.
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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

Cobelodus

Phonetic

Co-be-lo-dus.

Named By

Zangerl‭ ‬-‭ ‬1973.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Chondrichthyes,‭ ‬Elasmobranchii,‭ ‬Symmoriida,‭ ‬Symmoriidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬obliquus

Size

Up to 2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Illinois,‭ ‬Iowa.

Time Period

Late Carboniferous.

Fossil representation

Many specimens.

In Depth

       With a bulbous head,‭ ‬strongly arched back and dorsal fin that was so far back it sat near above the pelvic fins,‭ ‬Cobelodus was not a shark that was built for speed.‭ ‬Instead it may have cruised around near the bottom hunting for crustaceans and other invertebrates that did not require active pursuit.‭

       The pectoral fins are two thirty centimetre appendages that trail from the pectoral fins.‭ ‬These appear to have been made out of cartilage and were flexible enough to be moved.‭ ‬Whether these appendages were for signalling and display,‭ ‬or even‭ ‘‬feeling‭’ ‬for prey items,‭ ‬we just don’t know.

Further Reading

– Chondrichthyes I: Paleozoic Elasmobranchii, by R. Zangerl – In, Handbook of Paleoichthyology, H. P. Schultze [ed]. – 1981. – Early Permian chondrichthyans of the middle and south Urals. – Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 8(2):127-138. – A. Ivanov – 2005.

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