Leedsichthys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Leedsichthys Temporal range: Middle Jurassic |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leedsichthys with scuba-diver for scale | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pachycormiformes |
| Family: | Pachycormidae |
| Genus: | Leedsichthys |
| Species: | L. problematicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Leedsichthys problematicus |
|
Leedsichthys problematicus, ('Leeds fish') was a giant fossil fish of the Jurassic period. It was a pachycormid, a group of extinct ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). Leedsichthys is the largest fish known, with an estimated length of up to 16 metres. The Blue Whale is twice as long, at 30 metres, but that is a mammal, not a fish.
Leedsichthys fossils are incomplete, making it impossible to know the exact length. The fossil is named after its discoverer, Alfred Nicholson Leeds, who discovered it before 1886 near Peterborough, England.[1]
Food [change]
Like the worlds biggest fish today, the Whale shark, the Leedsichthys problematicus was a filter feeder, getting its nutrition from plankton. Remains of over 70 individuals have now been found.[1]
