Gogonasus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids GogonasusTemporal range: Late Devonian
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| Life restoration of Gogonasus andrewsae | |
| Scientific classification | |
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?Osteolepidida
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?Osteolepiformes
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?Osteolepidae
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Gogonasus
Long, 1985
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G. andrewsae
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| Gogonasus andrewsae Long, 1985
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Gogonasus (say "Go-go-NAY-sus") was an amazing ancient fish. Its name means "snout from Gogo," which is where its fossils were found. This fish lived about 380 million years ago! That was during a time called the Late Devonian period.
Imagine a huge coral reef, about 1,400 kilometers long, off the coast of what is now Western Australia. That's where Gogonasus swam! It was a small fish, usually about 30–40 centimeters (about 1 foot) long.
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What Made Gogonasus Special?
Gogonasus was a type of lobe-finned fish. Unlike most fish with thin, ray-like fins, lobe-finned fish have fleshy, strong fins. These fins have bones inside them, similar to the bones in our arms and legs!
Scientists found that the skeleton of Gogonasus had several features that were a lot like those of tetrapods. Tetrapods are animals with four limbs, like frogs, lizards, birds, and even humans.
Fins Like Arms
The fins of Gogonasus showed early versions of bones found in a forearm. These included bones similar to our radius and ulna. Researchers believe Gogonasus used these strong, arm-like fins to quickly dart out of the reef. This helped it catch its prey.
Breathing Holes on Top
One surprising discovery was that Gogonasus had large holes on top of its head called spiracles. These holes are used for breathing. In Gogonasus, they were almost as big as those found in early tetrapods. This suggests it might have been able to gulp air from the surface, or at least had a way to get oxygen from the water without opening its mouth.
Finding Gogonasus Fossils
The first part of Gogonasus ever found was just a single snout bone. This happened in 1985, and it was discovered by a scientist named John A. Long.
More Discoveries
In 1986, during another trip to the Gogo Formation in Australia, a more complete skull of Gogonasus was found. This fossil helped scientists understand more about how its jaws fit together.
Later, in 1990, another almost complete skull was found. These discoveries helped scientists learn more about the fish's head. But even with these finds, some parts of its skeleton were still a mystery.
The Big Find of 2005
In 2005, John Long led another expedition. On July 11, a team member named Dr. Tim Senden found a very well-preserved skeleton of Gogonasus. This fossil was almost a complete fish, all the way to its tail! It was Dr. Senden's first time on a fossil hunting trip with the team.
This amazing fossil is now kept at Museums Victoria. It took almost four months to carefully clean and prepare the fossil using acetic acid.
What the New Fossil Showed
The new, complete fossil showed scientists many new things. It clearly showed the large spiracles on top of its head. It also showed that the bones inside its pectoral fins (the ones near its chest) were very similar to those of other fish that were closely related to early tetrapods.
For nearly 100 years, another ancient fish called Eusthenopteron was thought to be the best example of how lobe-finned fish evolved into tetrapods. But Gogonasus is even better preserved. It helps scientists understand this important step in evolution more clearly. Even though Gogonasus looked like simpler fish, its special features show how it was evolving towards becoming more like a tetrapod.
The Gogo Formation
Gogonasus is just one of over 45 different kinds of fish fossils found at the Gogo Formation. What makes this place so special is that the fossils are preserved in three dimensions. This means they are not squashed flat, but look almost like the real fish! It's the only Devonian site in the world where whole, complete fish fossils are found in such perfect condition.
See also
In Spanish: Gogonasus para niños
