The Nastiest Fish That Ever Lived
Little Nemo had some nasty ancestors. Every fish alive today owes its existence to the explosion of aquatic life that occurred in the Devonian period — also known as the age of the fishes — 415 million to 360 million years ago. Among the brutes that prowled the shallows of the Canadian Arctic was the newly discovered Laccognathus embryi, whose fossilized remains were discovered this year on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut territory. Laccognathus wasn't huge — just 5 to 6 ft. long. But it was sneaky — lurking in the shallows in the lazy but lethal style of the sit-and-wait predator. It was also plug-ugly, with a flat wide head, little beady eyes, a broad jaw that gave it a nastily leering grin, and a set of huge, piercing teeth. Pixar ain't making a movie out of this guy any time soon.