Fanjingshania renovata

Fanjingshania renovata

An ancient “shark”

Age 

Llandovery, Silurian, 439 million years ago

Distribution 

Shiqian, Guizhou, China

Taxonomy 

Acanthodii, Climatiiformes

Brief description 

Jawed vertebrate with paired dermal shoulder girdle plates, each fused to a pair of prepectoral spines, a pectoral and a prepelvic fin spine; ventral and ascending laminae of the pinnal plates extended to the posterior edge of the pectoral fin spines

Trivia 

The discovery of Fanjingshania provides the strongest support yet for a proposed early Silurian radiation of jawed vertebrates before their widespread appearance in the fossil record in the Lower Devonian period