How To Identify Your Finds (Part 8 of 10)
8) Identifying the Chimaeroid fossils
[Chimaeras (pronounced: ky-mear-arz), often called rabbit fish, are an obscure group of cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They belong to the order Chimaeriformes. Chimaeras are bottom-dwellers that live on shellfish and crustaceans, and are not known for their good looks.] Having dealt with the shark teeth in the first 6 steps of this guide, you may be left with a few odd looking bits and pieces. Some of these could well be rabbit fish mouth parts, used to crush the hard shells of their prey. Figure 1 below shows typical examples. Each of them show the typical pale, raised areas on a dark background. The raised areas have a characteristic 'orange-peel' surface texture. Several species of rabbit fish have been identified at Beltinge but the commonest are Elasmodus hunteri and Edaphodon bucklandi (See fig.2 below). Two other species are shown below. More images can be found in the Gallery.
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More pictures of Rabbit fish mouth parts can be found here and here. You may also find this entertaining.
How To Identify Your Finds (Part 9 of 10) - Eagle Rays
How To Identify Your Finds (Part 9 of 10) - Eagle Rays