Dunkleosteus terrelli
Devonian placoderm fish
Placoderms are an extinct group of heavily armored fish that lived primarily during the Devonian period. These fish were predators, with powerful jaws and thick, bony armor that covered their heads. Dunkleosteus was one of the largest placoderm fish, growing up to 30 feet long and weighing over a ton.
This voracious predator fed on other fish, arthropods, and ammonoids, using its immensely powerful jaws to bite with extreme force. The “teeth” of Dunkleosteus are actually sharp bony plates, used to crush prey at incredible speeds. Its jaws opened in about 1/50 of a second, creating an extremely powerful vacuum to suck prey into the mouth. They then closed with about 11,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of bite force, up to 80,000 psi at the fang tip.
Length: 16 inches