Devonian Fish Fossils

Early Fish

• The earliest Devonian fish did not leave fossils behind because their bodies were made up of cartilage and they had no jaws. Cartilage does not fossilize well, meaning there is little evidence of these creatures.

First Fossils

• The earliest Devonian fossil fish are of Ostracoderms -- fish with a scaly outer skin and bony plates.

Sharks

• Sharks also developed during the Devonian period, although since their body structure was made of cartilage there is little fossil evidence about them. The main source of information about these ancient sharks is from their teeth.

Geography

• Although the Devonian period takes its name from Devon in England, Devonian fish fossils have been found in many parts of the world. One of the largest collections was accidentally found by a roadworker in Canowindra in New South Wales, Australia, in 1956. Excavations found a total of 3,000 species of fossilized fish.