Scientists Discover Bizarre 380 Million-Year-Old Ancient Fish That Breathed Air

The rivers of Australia, which once flowed across its now dry interior, used to host a range of bizarre animals – including a sleek predatory lobe-finned fish with large fangs and bony scales.

The newly described fossil fish discovered in remote fossil fields west of Alice Springs has been named Harajicadectes zhumini by an international team of researchers led by Flinders University paleontologist Dr Brian Choo.

The fossil was named for the Harajica Sandstone Member where the fossils were found in Australia’s ‘Red Centre’ and the ancient Greek dēktēs (“biter”). It also pays homage to Professor Min Zhu, currently at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, who has made some major contributions to the research of early vertebrates.