Field Museum: Evolving Planet (Mesozoic Era)
FAMILIAR FORMS OF FISHES EVOLVED
Skates-which are cartilaginous fishes, like rays and sharks-first appeared in the Mesozoic Era seas.
Meanwhile, a new group appeared among the ray-finned fishes (whose fins are made up of a series of flexible bone "rays" inside a thin web of skin). Called teleosts, these new fishes were different from other ray-finned fishes in that they had a unique prey-trapping jaw. Teleosts are the most common fishes today, with more than 20,000 species, including such well-known fishes as tuna and goldfish.
Field Museum: Evolving Planet (Mesozoic Era)
FAMILIAR FORMS OF FISHES EVOLVED
Skates-which are cartilaginous fishes, like rays and sharks-first appeared in the Mesozoic Era seas.
Meanwhile, a new group appeared among the ray-finned fishes (whose fins are made up of a series of flexible bone "rays" inside a thin web of skin). Called teleosts, these new fishes were different from other ray-finned fishes in that they had a unique prey-trapping jaw. Teleosts are the most common fishes today, with more than 20,000 species, including such well-known fishes as tuna and goldfish.