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RhizodusByAlexeyMalitsky

Rhizodus hibberti was the largest freshwater fish ever.

Rhizodus was a very large freshwater sarcopterygian that lived in swamps and rivers all over pangea the entire Carboniferous period. Rhizodus would have been one of the largest fish in the carboniferous waters. It was a macropredator, feasting on the temnospondyls and the lepospondyls wherever it lived or swam. It had very large fangs at the opening of its mouth measuring up to 22 centimetres in length and gradually declining in length as the teeth went back towards the mouth.

Unlike other large sarcopterygians around at the time, Rhizodus's teeth were designed to rip into small to medium sized amphibians whereas others swallowed their prey whole after ambushing them.

Description[]

The most notable characteristics of Rhizodus, compared to other giant rhizodonts such as Barameda, were the two 22 centimetres (8.7 in) fangs located near the front of its jaws, followed by other teeth scaling downwards in size. Rhizodus was a giant apex predator that resided in freshwater lakes, river systems and large swamps, with R. hibberti reaching 7 metres (23 ft) in length. It fed on small to medium-sized amphibians, using its teeth to kill prey and rip it into digestible sizes, rather than swallowing prey whole like other, smaller-toothed sarcopterygians.

Fossil skin imprints show that Rhizodus had large, plate-like scales, similar to those found on modern day arapaima.

Diet[]

The diet of Rhizodus' included medium-sized fish and tetrapods. It has been proposed that Rhizodus may have lunged at terrestrial, shorebound prey, just like a modern-day crocodile

Gallery[]

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