Ancient toothy predator fish discovered

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A species of predatory fish that lived in the oceans 375 million years ago has been identified from a fossil discovered in Canada, researchers said.

Scientists at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia say the creature prowled the waterway of ancient North America during the Devonian Period, before animals with backbones existed on land.

The Devonian, from 415 million to 360 million years ago, is often referred to as the Age of Fishes because of the rich variety of aquatic forms that populated the ancient seas, lagoons and streams, an academy release said Monday.

The fish, named Laccognathus embryi, probably grew to about 5 or 6 feet long and had a wide head with small eyes and strong jaws lined with large piercing teeth, researchers said.

"I wouldn't want to be wading or swimming in waters where this animal lurked," academy researcher Edward "Ted" Daeschler said. "Clearly these Late Devonian ecosystems were vicious places, and Laccognathus filled the niche of a large, bottom-dwelling, sit-and-wait predator with a powerful bite."

The fossil was discovered on Ellesmere Island in the remote Nunavut Territory of Arctic Canada.