恐龍卡第 0550 張，共 2 027 張

Dunkleosteus

名字的意思： “Dunkle's bone”1

吃：肉史前傳奇古生代，恐龍出現之前不是恐龍，而是史前傳奇

Dunkleosteus was a giant armoured fish that swam in the oceans about 382 to 358 million years ago. It had thick bone plates on its head and front body, and it was one of the first big predators in the sea. It wasn't a dinosaur, but it was super scary!1

這隻不是恐龍，但牠是史前時代最有名的動物之一，所以在 Dino Wiki 也有一席之地。

生存年代

388 到 359 百萬年前2

古生代，恐龍出現之前

化石發現地

Fossils have been found in the United States (including Ohio, California, and Michigan), Canada (Ontario), and Latvia.1 2

長度

4.1 到 10 m (13 到 33 ft)1

體重

1 公噸到 4 公噸 (2,200 到 8,800 lb)1

最高速度

時速約 25 公里（16 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

恐龍出現之前

恐龍時代

哺乳動物時代

4 億年前25266現在

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 2.5 台汽車一樣重

跟 2 台汽車排成一排一樣長跟 56 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長跟 200 隻狗一樣重跟 800 顆西瓜一樣重跟 5 整班小學生一樣重跟 9 隻北極熊一樣重能在 7.2 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Dunkleosteus 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Dunkleosteus 時速約 25 公里 (16 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Dunkleosteus had a four-bar linkage in its skull that let it open its jaws in just 20 milliseconds, as fast as a blink!1

Its bite force was estimated at up to 7,495 newtons (about 1,685 pounds), which is among the highest of any fish ever.1

Instead of teeth, Dunkleosteus had sharp, blade-like bony plates in its jaws that could cut through armoured prey.1

Fossils of Dunkleosteus are often found with boluses of fish bones, which are the undigested remains of its last meals.1

The armour plates on its head and front body were up to 7.6 cm (3 inches) thick in some places, but thinner elsewhere.1

Dunkleosteus might have been a fast swimmer, not slow as once thought, because it could catch fast fish like Orodus.1

Dunkleosteus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Dunkleosteus 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Dunkleosteus 最常被問的問題

?How big was Dunkleosteus?

The largest known species, Dunkleosteus terrelli, was probably about 3.4 metres (11 feet) long for typical adults, and up to 4.1 metres (13 feet) for exceptionally large individuals. Some older estimates were much bigger, but recent studies suggest these smaller sizes.1

?Did Dunkleosteus have teeth?

No, instead of teeth it had sharp, blade-like bony plates in its jaws that could cut through armoured prey. These blades even sharpened themselves as the fish opened and closed its mouth.1 3

?What did Dunkleosteus eat?

It ate armoured prey like ammonites and other placoderms, and could even catch fast-swimming fish like Orodus. Fossils show it sometimes regurgitated bones from its last meal.1

?How fast could Dunkleosteus open its mouth?

It could open its jaws in just 20 milliseconds and complete a feeding snap in 50 to 60 milliseconds, which is as fast as a blink. This helped it catch fast prey.4

?Was Dunkleosteus a dinosaur?

No, it was a giant armoured fish that lived in the oceans during the Devonian Period, long before dinosaurs existed. It belonged to a group called placoderms.1

?How strong was Dunkleosteus' bite?

Its bite force was estimated at up to 7,495 newtons, which is among the highest of any fish ever. That is strong enough to puncture armour.1 4

?Where have Dunkleosteus fossils been found?

Fossils have been found in the United States, Canada, Poland, Belgium, Morocco, and Russia. The largest collection is at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio.1

?When did Dunkleosteus live?

It lived during the Late Devonian Period, about 382 to 358 million years ago. That is before the first dinosaurs appeared.1

?Could Dunkleosteus swim fast?

Yes, it might have been a fast swimmer, not slow as once thought. It could catch fast-swimming fish like Orodus, which suggests it was quick.1

?Why did Dunkleosteus have armour?

Its thick bone plates on the head and front body protected it from other predators and helped it hunt armoured prey. The plates were up to 7.6 cm (3 inches) thick in some places.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Dunkleosteus was a dinosaur.

真相： Dunkleosteus was not a dinosaur. It was a fish, specifically an arthrodire placoderm, and it lived long before the first dinosaurs.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Dunkleosteus
命名者: Newberry 18745
類群: 史前傳奇
科 / 演化支: Dunkleosteidae5
分類: Placodermi > Phlyctaeniiformes > Dunkleosteidae5
岩石的年代: 388 到 359 百萬年 (Givetian / Famennian)5
岩層: Ohio Shale, Lost Burro, Tērvete5
國家: 美國, 拉脫維亞, 加拿大5
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 7 筆5
發現: The first fossils were found in 1867 by Jay Terrell, an amateur paleontologist, near Lake Erie in Ohio, USA. The species was named Dunkleosteus terrelli in 1956, honouring both David Dunkle and Jay Terrell.1
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate how Dunkleosteus fed. Some think it used suction to gulp prey, but a 2025 study suggests it actively bit and tore prey, and its bite force estimates might need to be revised.1