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COBELODUS
(co-be-lo-dus)
Named By: Zangerl in 1973
Time Period: Carboniferous
Location: USA, Illinois, Iowa
Size: 2 meters long
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil(s): Many specimens
Classification: | Chordata | Chondrichthyes | Elasmobranchii | Symmoriida | Symmoriidae |
About

Cobelodus is an extinct genus of holocephalid that lived in the Middle to Late Carboniferous period in what is today Illinois and Iowa.

Cobelodus was a 2 metres (6.6 ft) long predator. Although it was related to chimaeras, Cobelodus had a number of differences from modern forms. It had a bulbous head, large eyes, a high-arched back, and a dorsal fin placed far to the rear, above the pelvic fins. Because of its large eyes, it is thought to have lived in the deeper, darker parts of the sea, hunting crustaceans and squid. Another unusual physical feature of Cobelodus are the 30 centimetres (12 in) long, flexible cartilagenous 'tentacles' sprouting from its pectoral fins. Their purpose is unknown.

Read more about Cobelodus at Wikipedia
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