Image: Dunkleosteus juvenile fossil - Cleveland Museum of Natural History (34421618320)

Description: Juvenile Dunkleosteus terrelli skull, on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The original fossil skull was collected by Peter Bungart in 1941 from the Cleveland Shale along the Black River in Lorain County, Ohio. Dunkleosteus terrelli was a prehistoric fish that lived about 380 to 360 million years ago. Unlike modern fish, it had massive, heavy bones in its skull. It was a carnivore that was about 33 feet long, making it the second-largest predator in the ocean at the time. It was not very fast, but it was a powerful swimmer -- and its bite was one of the most powerful ever found in nature.

Dunkleosteus terrelli was first discovered in 1873. At the time, scientists thought it was part of the species Dinichthys, but they have since realized it was a separate species. Dunkleosteus was renamed in 1956. The name honors David Dunkle, a paleontologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. There are several sub-species, but Dunkleosteus terrelli is the largest. It has been found throughout the U.S. (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, and Texas).
Author: Tim Evanson from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA
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