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Climatius

The name "spiny shark" seems particularly appropriate for this fish. Its tiny body was crowded with spines and fins. Two large dorsal fins rose from the back, each supported in front by a stout bony spine, superficially embedded in the skin. There was large anal fin and spine at the back, and a pair of large pectoral fins with spines at the front. The underside of Climatius' body bristled with spines, but no fins. There was a pair of pelvic spines and 4 pairs of belly spines. Climatius was obviously an active swimmer, to judge by its stabilizing fins and the powerful, sharklike tail, with its large, upturned upper lobe. Like many other acanthodians, it had no teeth in its upper jaw, but there were whorls of small teeth in the lower jaw, continually replaced as they were being worn - another sharklike feature. Its large eyes suggest that sight was the chief sense used for locating prey, and it probably fed on crustacean and fish fry in midwater and at the surface. Its swimming agility and the tightfitting armor of bony scales must have protected Climatius from attack by larger fish and predatory invertebrates, such as squid. The 15 fin spines that arrayed its body were its chief defense, making it extremely awkward to swallow. © 1988 by Marshall Edition Limited .