A 160-million-year-old version of a creature dubbed the “vampire” of modern times has recently emerged as a fossil in Northeast China, named “The Slayer.”
The fossils of two lampreys that lived during the time of the dinosaurs have been discovered by Chinese scientists in excellent preservation. One of the specimens measures up to 64.2 cm, making it the largest lamprey fossil ever found.
This alien-looking fish is also referred to as “vampire” in modern terminology. They feed on the blood of other aquatic animals, preying on everything from natural ocean fish to wreaking havoc in aquaculture regions.
Two ancient lampreys reconstructed from fossils – (Photo: Heming Zhang).
According to Live Science, lampreys are one of the two groups of jawless vertebrates that first appeared in the fossil record as far back as 360 million years ago in the Devonian period. Today, 31 species still exist, continuing to captivate interest.
The two newly identified fossils are approximately 160 million years old, dating back to the Jurassic period, the era when dinosaurs began to flourish.
Fossils excavated in China – (Photo: NATURE COMMUNICATION).
The research team, including Dr. Feixiang Wu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Chi Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Philippe Janvier from the National Museum of Natural History in France, indicated that these fossils represent a crucial link between older specimens and modern lampreys.
This finding is significant because this grotesque-looking creature plays an important role in studying how vertebrates emerged and evolved.
The two newly discovered species have been named Yanliaomyzon occisor and Yanliaomyzon ingensdentes, with the first part of the name referencing the renowned fossil site, Yanliao Biota, in China, where they were discovered; the latter part in Latin means “The Slayer” and “Large Teeth.”
The fossils also represent the stage at which lampreys officially evolved into the “vampires” we recognize today.
Older fossils of this bizarre genus are mostly too small and weak, leading paleontologists to believe they were merely algae-eaters, insufficiently strong to prey on other species in the ancient “monster seas.”
In contrast to previous efforts, the study recently published in Nature Communications also indicates that the Southern Hemisphere is the true “territory” of this species.
