An extremely successful Triassic to
Cretaceous genus of ray-finned fish, the
Lepidotes group was related to the modern
gars. Around a hundred species have been
listed from Mesozoic sediments laid down
around the world, although some badly
preserved specimens have probably been
mistakenly identified as entirely new species.
Different forms of Lepidotes have been
found in a wide variety of environments,
including rivers, lakes and shallow coastal
sea areas. The various species range in
length from 30cm/12in up to 2m/6~ft or
more. The jaws had developed a new
mechanism for shaping themselves
into a tube that could suck in prey
from a distance, and its '
f1atenned or peg-like teeth
were capable of crushing
molluscan prey. Some of
the recognizably thick scales
of Lepidotes have been
found in the fossilized chest
region of the large dinosaur
Baryonyx; the fish-eater
perhaps scooped them up
with its large claws, like a bear.