Acanthodidae, Cheiracanthus sp.

Cheiracanthus was a small fish, growing to about 30 cm long. It had only one dorsal fin, and an asymmetrical, upturned tail. It lived in freshwater, and fossils of this genus have been found in Scotland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia and Russia (Paleobiology Database, n.d.). The only complete specimens of Cheiracanthus are from the Old Red Sandstone in Scotland (Long, 1995), including this particular specimen from Forfarshire.

References:

Long, J.A. (1995) The Rise of Fishes: 500 millions years of evolution. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. p. 96.

Paleobiology Database (no date) Cheiracanthus, The Paleobiology Database. Available at: https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon_no=209434 (Accessed: August 2024).