An Odd-Looking Prehistoric Fish: Sacabambaspis

One of the oddest looking prehistoric fish you will likely see lived during the Ordovician period about 470 million years ago. Today's blog teaches you about the fish, and explains about a discovery of a group of them discovered in Bolivia.

(Image credit: Model of Sacabambaspis   Sacabambaspis janvieri model was created by Estonian paleontologist dr. Elga Mark-Kurik. The model is currently on view at LUOMUS – The Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki. Credit: https://www.sacabambaspis.eu/)

What is Sacabambaspis?

Sacabambaspis is named after the village of Sacabamba in Bolivia, where the first fossils of the genus were found.

Sacabambaspis was an extinct genus of armored jawless fish that lived approximately 470 to 450 million years ago during the Ordovician period. It was a marine animal so it lived and thrived in salt water. Sacabambaspis was a small, armored, jawless fish from the Ordovician period, measuring approximately 25–35 cm (10-14 inches) in length. It had no pectoral or ventral fins and was likely a weak swimmer. It fed on plankton and organic detritus. Sacabambaspis lived in shallow seas, waggling its tail weakly to move and sucking in food with its gaping jaws.

In recent years, it has garnered a lot of attention online for its cute face.

THE BOLIVIA DISCOVERY - It is known from fossils found in Bolivia.. The Sacabambaspis specimens found in Bolivia are believed to have died in a mass fatality event, likely caused by a sudden influx of fresh water and sediment from a massive storm or flood, which destroyed their marine habitat. Over 30 specimens were found huddled together, indicating a sudden environmental shock rather than gradual predation.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ORDOVICIAN PERIOD? - Sacabambaspis was a widespread genus during the Late Ordovician period. However, this period was characterized by rapid climate shifts and mass extinction events that eventually altered marine ecosystems.