Laelaps
Musings on evolution, the fossil record, and our place in nature
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Laelaps is the blog of freelance science writer Brian Switek. This blog frequently features his musings on paleontology, evolution, and the history of science. Switek also blogs for Smithsonian magazine's Dinosaur Tracking, and he is a research associate at the New Jersey State Museum.
Switek's first book, Written in Stone, will be published on November 1, 2010 by Bellevue Literary Press.
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« Photo of the Day #803: Ceratosaurus | Main | Photo of the Day #805: Polar bear »
Photo of the Day #804: Xiphactinus
Category: Paleontology • Photography
Posted on: December 26, 2009 10:18 AM, by Brian Switek
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Comments
Too much blue! what part is supposed to be what?
Posted by: Antiquated Tory | December 26, 2009 11:59 AM
CREEPY. But cool.
Posted by: melanie | December 26, 2009 5:16 PM
Whoa, it's the killer fish from Hell! Xiphactinus was a HUGE (upwards of 16 feet long) predatory bony fish that ate other fish (including sharks) and even young plesiosaurs and mosasaurs.
This guy was like a worst-nightmare cross between a giant grouper and a barracuda, but much bigger than either one. It also seems to have been a cannibal, and ate just about anything that could fit in its huge stomach.
Posted by: Nima | December 26, 2009 5:53 PM
In the hall of Mesozoic life at the Field Museum in Chicago there are several impressive dinosaurs, but the cases along the walls have many other wonderful things, like a huge Xiphactinus! Very nice!
Posted by: JJ Anderson | December 27, 2009 12:12 AM