This is one ancient whale of a tale! An international team of scientists from the National Museums Scotland and the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh have completed a years-long project to excavate and assemble the most complete fossil of the world’s largest prehistoric fish.
The specimen suggests that Leedsichthys problematicus grew to a full size of around 50 feet long, twice that of previous estimates, according to a written statement from the University of Glasgow.
The massive fish must have cast an impressive shadow as it swam through the seas about 165 million years ago. With a bony physique, Leedsichthys pioneered an important ecological niche: It was the first of the giant plankton-feeders, whose modern-day equivalents today include the behemoth whale shark.
Research team leader Dr. Jeff Liston of the National Museums of Scotland told The Huffington Post in an email that several significant conclusions can be drawn from the Leedsichthys discovery.
James' World 2 