365-Million-Year-Old Fish With Extreme Underbite Showcases Vertebrate Diversity

A study has examined 365-million-year-old fossils of a fish with the world's longest underbite, called Alienacanthus malkowskii.

Vertebrates are defined as all animals that possess a vertebral column, or backbone. Most living vertebrates also possess jaws, teeth and paired fins or limbs.

Fossils of the earliest vertebrates help us understand not only how these features originated, but also how they evolved and diversified over time.

Our study, published in Royal Society Open Science, examines 365-million-year-old fossils of a fish with the world's longest underbite, called Alienacanthus malkowskii. These fossils demonstrate the diversity of jawed vertebrates early on during their evolution.